


Wanted for Evil

by ruskarmelita



Series: Across the Stars [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Star Wars Setting, Angst, Character Death, Darth Vader Lives, Darth Vader Redemption, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Sex, Eventual Smut, F/M, Force Bond (Star Wars), Force Choking (Star Wars), Force Dyad (Star Wars), Force Visions, Force-Sensitive Reader, Forgiveness, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Heavy Angst, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, Manipulative Sheev Palpatine, Mental Anguish, Mentioned Luke Skywalker, Mentioned Padmé Amidala, Older Man/Younger Woman, Other, POV Darth Vader, Politics, Possessive Behavior, Post-Canon Fix-It, Post-Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, Protective Darth Vader, Quote: The Force works in mysterious ways, Rebellion, Redemption, Relationship Issues, Sexual Tension, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Suitless Darth Vader, That's Not How The Force Works, The Force, Unhealthy Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-17
Updated: 2020-09-30
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:40:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 60
Words: 244,820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24238945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ruskarmelita/pseuds/ruskarmelita
Summary: Three years after the Battle of Endor and death of Emperor Palpatine, the Empire and its high rank officials were still fighting tooth and nail with the Rebel Alliance. The Alliance would have won the war if it wasn’t for the rise of Grand Admiral Thrawn and his forces from the unknown regions. It didn’t come as a complete surprise that just recently he announced himself as a new ruler of the galaxy, proclaiming himself to be a savior of his people and naming himself as a Supreme Leader of the New Galactic Empire.You believed that Darth Vader perished in the aftermath of the Battle of Endor. So what came as a surprise was an order received from General Leia Organa over the holo transmitter while you were finishing up another mission in the Outer Rim. You were not expecting to hear Darth Vader’s name from the General’s lips and certainly not a secret mission to retrieve Vader from a high security prison on planet Tritus.So what could possibly go wrong?
Relationships: Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader, Anakin Skywalker/Reader, Darth Maul & Darth Vader, Darth Maul & Original Character(s), Darth Vader & Original Female Character(s), Darth Vader/Reader, Leia Organa & Darth Vader, Leia Organa & Han Solo, Leia Organa & Luke Skywalker, Luke Skywalker & Darth Vader, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker, Past Padme Amidala/Anakin Skywalker - Relationship, Sheev Palpatine & Darth Vader, Thrawn | Mitth'raw'nuruodo & Darth Vader
Series: Across the Stars [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1886491
Comments: 821
Kudos: 941
Collections: Best of Darth Vader, Crossgenerational Slash, Darth Vader smutty Vibes, Star Wars





	1. The prisoner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!
> 
> This is my first Star Wars story I have ever written in my life. Please be considerate if I mess some things up about certain parts of the Star Wars universe. 
> 
> The story is set three years after the Battle of Endor. I made certain major changes to the story, as you'll see later in this chapter. This is an alternate universe by some degree. 
> 
> Thank you for checking it out and enjoy!
> 
> ### DISCLAIMER
> 
> ## 
> 
> I wanted to put this here prior to you all that are just now starting to read this story that this is not entirely true reader-insert story (it is by some degree). I originally started writing this story from a third person view. The name of the main character was going to be Elèna Dine but about three chapters into the story I decided to switch it to the second person so I had to switch some things around and change all the pronouns and etc. If you noticed some alterations between third and second person views that's why.
> 
> Also, it was brought to my attention (when I've already written 40+ chapters that I put descriptions of my OC character in the story (such as color of their eyes, hair, skin etc...) Once again, this was supposed to be a third person story and my mind was already set on what my character was going to look like before I started writing this story. So instead of rewriting all the chapters, I decided to put this disclaimer AND remove the **reader-insert** tag so as to not upset more people.
> 
> I'm warning you of this because I don't want others to be upset that the character I created did not sit well with what they had in mind. If this is something you won't enjoy, then please don't start reading the story. Thank you for reading this and with that in mind, enjoy!
> 
> ###### -updated as of July 26, 2020 -
> 
> ###### 

The outline of the mission was simple. Retreive the prisoner and transport him to a new location. That was what General Leia Organa had said to you over the hologram. The details were then sent to your datapad before the departure. The mission itself, you thought, was not as simple as the General made it seem. 

Your team assigned to this secret mission was currently on the second light jump through space heading toward the third and final jump before reaching your destination. You did not want to risk being tracked by what was left of the Galactic Empire. Especially considering who you were retrieving once you reached your final destination. It wasn’t long before the ship made a lurching movement coming out of hyperspace. 

“Commander,” said a rough voice over the intercom. “Plugging in the coordinates to Tritus. Should be there in less than an hour.” 

“Copy that, Gil. Once we reach Tritus, please let me know. I want to speak with the Head of the Security directly before we land.”

The man named Gil grunted in affirmative before disconnecting the intercom. The ship once again lurched forward entering the hyperspace. It wouldn’t be long now before the ship would enter the Kothlis system of Bothan sector and head towards one of the moons orbiting Kothlis. Considered to be an uninhabitable planet due to its climate, Tritus was the perfect place to build a detention center for war criminals after the Battle of Yavin by the Rebel Alliance. And now it served as a holding cell for one of the biggest war criminals of the Galactic Empire, Darth Vader. 

“So let me get this straight,” said a chirpy voice coming up behind you and snatching a datapad from your hands. “We are on a suicidal mission to retrieve his  _ Dark Majesty _ and somehow transport him across the galaxy safely, while also avoiding detection from the eyes of the Empire? That sounds like  _ fun. _ ” A young Twi’lek woman was standing in front of you, her hand on her hips and with a scowl on her face as she read through the details on your current mission from the datapad. 

“Don’t sound so pessimistic, Ra’alon,” you sighed. “There is nothing suicidal about this mission. We know that Darth Vader is immobilized and can’t cause us anymore harm.”

“That’s what he wants us all to _ think _ , [Y/N].” Ra’alon said with exasperation and roll of her eyes before unceremoniously plopping down next to your petite form, still clutching the datapad in her hands. “Aren’t you worried about it? This is Darth Vader, mass murderer, Jedi-hunter and a Sith Lord we are talking about. It doesn’t matter that he is immobilized, that kriffing bastard can find a way to kill us all and escape.” 

“Even if he was capable of escaping, which is highly unlikely, considering that he has been safely contained for the last three years, I don’t think he would do that.” Your quiet voice carried across a small compartment of the ship you were currently sitting in. You tried to grab the datapad from Ra’alon but the Twi’lek woman was faster and moved it to the other side of where she was sitting. 

“Don’t you think this is all weird?” Ra’alon continued with the same displeasing tone in her voice. “We didn’t even know he survived the Battle of Endor. We were told by the High Command that he died along with the Emperor and Luke Skywalker. And now we learn that he was alive this whole time. It doesn’t make any sense.” Ra’alon puffed out her annoyance. 

“Can you really blame the Alliance for it?” you asked, tired of trying to get the datapad back from the other woman, as you got up from the sitting area and went around the Twi’lek to retrieve your datapad. “It would have caused an uproar in already havoc galactic systems after the fall of the Empire. I don’t question the judgment of the Alliance and neither should you.”

“But you should,” said Ra’alon as she too got up from her sitting position and followed you to the front of the ship where the rest of your crew were preparing to leave the hyperspace. 

Upon entering the cockpit of their cruiser, two heads turned around from the controls of the ship and nodded at the two women. 

“About to leave the hyperspace,” said Gil as he worked around controls of the ship. 

You simply nodded and watched as the blur of the stars returned to normal and the ship lurched exiting the hyperspace. You were right in front of a small moon size planet, covered in volcanic matter and lava that were visible from the planet's orbit. 

“Lovely place,” said a Bothan male next to Gil, preparing to connect their transmitter to the ground tower on the planet below them. “This is CS-315, requesting your permission to land.”

The static sound of the transmission lasted for a few seconds before a hologram of a Human male appeared on the front console of the ship. “This is Tamont Vale, Head of the Security of the Tritus detention center, state your business.”

You rolled her eyes and stepped forward in the view of the hologram. These were all technicalities. Tamont should be already informed that you were coming and the reason why. You decided to humour him. 

“This is Commander [Y/N] of the Rebel Alliance. I have a direct order from General Leia Organa to make a safe transfer of your prisoner to our custody. Permission for safe landing,  _ sir _ .” 

You were not in the mood for trivial pleasantries and discussions. The faster you get this mission over with and out of the presence of a former Sith Lord the better your chances of returning to your base safe and alive. You were not delusional to think that the former Galactic Empire would not be eager to get their hands on the man that could once again become a threat to the galaxy. Even three years after the Battle of Endor and death of Emperor Palpatine, the Empire and its high rank officials were still fighting tooth and nail with the Rebel Alliance. The Alliance would have won the war if it wasn’t for the rise of Grand Admiral Thrawn and his forces from the unknown regions. Within a few months Thrawn was able to take over the reigns of the crumbling Empire and dispel the fights happening within the Empire ranks. He unified the high rank officials, grand moffs and military personnel and strengthened his hold on the systems that were still loyal to the former Empire. It didn’t come as a complete surprise that only a few weeks ago he announced himself as a new ruler of the galaxy, proclaiming himself to be a savior of his people and naming himself as a Supreme Leader of the New Galactic Empire. 

What came as a surprise was an order received from General Organa a few days ago over the holo transmitter while you and your loyal subordinates were finishing up another mission in the Outer Rim. You were not expecting to hear Darth Vader’s name from the General’s lips and certainly not a secret mission to retrieve Vader from a high security prison and transfer him to the base on Brentaal IV, which currently the Rebel Alliance used as their base. You suspected that the order to retrieve Vader was solely General Organa’s decision in an attempt to stall Thrawn’s plans to overtake the galaxy. But these assumptions could wait, you had to use all your focus on the task ahead. 

Tamont Vale had given you permission to land in one of the docks in the underground facility that was easily missed by a naked eye if one did not know the facility was even there. The metallic bunker that constituted the majority of the facility was built in one of the volcanic mountains of the planet. How the Rebel Alliance managed to build the structure in the first place was a mystery. The sulfuric air on the planet’s surface was unbreathable and the climate was unbearably hot due to active volcanic eruptions. 

Gil was finishing up with landing sequences when another male voice interrupted everyone’s concentration. “Oh man, did I sleep through all of this? Must have been tired.”

You turned around in time to see a middle aged brawny looking man coming up into the cockpit. He was hastily putting on his stormtrooper armor and his short hair was disheveled and sticking out in all directions. He indeed slept through hours of the hyperspace travel, indicating how exhausted he must have been after your last mission. 

“Gavid,” said Ra’alon coming up to him and helping him secure his less than perfect armor. Even though Gavid defected from the Imperial military after the Battle of Endor, he still refused to take off his stormtrooper armor saying that it can help them blend in with the Empire troops. Many tried to point out that his armor was worn and dirty, with many scratches and dents that would instead give him away. Gavid simply laughed it off and continued wearing it and soon the rest of the group admitted that without the armor Gavid wouldn’t be the same. 

“Alright everyone,” you said, checking your blaster to make sure it was charged and palming your knife on your left hip. “I want everyone to be in position and ready in case it all goes to shit. As per mission orders, we are to change ships to avoid detection of the New Empire once we leave here.” 

You stared down each of your group members, satisfied that they all paid attention and were serious. This was not a routine mission to gather supplies. You all were dealing with the transfer of Darth Vader.

“Gil, I want your eyes and ears on the holo transmitter and radio signals,” you continued, as you started heading towards the back of the ship. “Ra’alon, you are responsible for making sure everything goes smoothly.” You pointedly looked at the smirking face of a young Twi’lek. You simply shook your head and sighed. The twenty-year old Twi’lek surely meant trouble due to her young age but she did her job well. 

“Tryon,” you continued, glancing at a Bothan male who was listening intently to your directions. “You are responsible for making sure our  _ guest _ feels welcome once we arrive. Make sure there are no opportunities for him to escape or use anything to his advantage,” you pointed out. Tryon simply nodded his head in understanding. 

“Gavid,” you turned to look at the said man and almost smirked when you saw him readying his blasters and checking his armors for uptenth time. He must be nervous even though he tried his hardest to hide it. “You are coming with me as planned. You know what to do if Darth Vader decides to act out.” 

Your team went over the details of the mission several times in the last few days. One of the things you learned is that Darth Vader’s suit was very susceptible to electric impulses such as lightning guns, which Gavid was now in possession of. The electric impulses should be enough to overwhelm his suit’s circuits and disable him for a moment if it came down to it. You hoped you didn’t have to rely on a heavier machinery to subdue the Dark Lord. Even though you were told his Sith abilities should be subdued enough with Force binders used during Clone Wars. 

You and Gavid came down onto the platform of the facility to meet the Head of the Security and several of his guards. The man did not look too impressed upon seeing your young face. You simply raised your perfect shaped eyebrow, challenging the man to say anything about your age or appearance. You were used to it by now. It was by mere misfortune that you obtained the title of the Commander once Luke Skywalker was identified to perish during the Battle of Endor. After all it was the young Jedi that carried that title bestowed to him upon Princess of Alderaan. You were a good soldier, serving the Alliance for almost six years and rising in the ranks of the Rebels swiftly due to your many talents. And now the title of Commander belonged to you, and you had a growing suspicion that part of it was because of your hidden Force abilities that somehow the General knew about. You did not want to dwell too much about it, as long as your secret remained safe with the General. 

“This way,” announced Tamont and without waiting for your responses, turned around and continued further into the facility. The corridors were long and dark, only illuminated by fluorescent lights every few hundred meters. The eerie silence and the dampness in the air sent chills down your spine. There were no signs of any prisoners the way Tamont was leading you through. You took a lift and went further down underground and after several minutes following the man and his guards through tunnels, you came upon a heavy durasteel door, fortified with many locks and protected by a ray shield. There were several guards on each side of the shield looking at many screens, their faces grim with tension and exhaustion. 

“Darth Vader is behind this door,” announced Tamont. 

You glanced at one of the screens and stopped in your tracks at what you saw. Darth Vader’s mask was looking right at you as though he could see you through the screen. You once again felt the uneasy feeling creeping up and tried to contain your shudder. You looked away.

The guards were getting ready to open up the cell, all of them moving with haste, their movements jerky from trepidation or fear, you could not tell. You glanced at the screen and breathed a sigh of relief when you saw Vader was no longer looking at you. You listened to directions the guards were relaying over the intercom to Darth Vader and their instructions for him to stand still while the droids placed Force dampening cuffs on his hands behind his back. One of them injected something into the area near his neck guard, and upon your visible confusion written on your face, one of the guards said, “Force dampening drug. Lasts for a few hours. He won’t be able to do anything with his Force voodoo tricks.”

You simply nodded and then watched as the ray shield disappeared and the locks on the doors slowly started turning, the screech of the mechanism telling you that this door has not been opened in a while. Heavy mechanical breathing filled the silent room once Vader slowly exited the cell, and was immediately surrounded by guards at a point-blank shooting range of their weapons. Gavin re-adjusted his grip on his lighting gun and you placed your hand on your right hip where your gun was strapped to your utility belt. It did not escape your notice that Vader followed his gaze to your hand and then back up to your face. You did not know how you  _ knew, _ but you just did. 

“Alright, let’s proceed,” you ordered, glad your voice did not waver and without waiting for anyone to acknowledge you, turned around and headed the way you came from. The ride in the lift was cramped and awkward and after many long minutes weaving through the tunnels you finally made it to the landing platform. 

Vader was safely boarded on your shuttle with no casualties, Tryon making meticulous care in ensuring everything went smoothly. One could never be too careful in Darth Vader’s presence. You along with Gavid shortly boarded the shuttle once you exchanged proper formalities with Tamont and his guards and soon you were exiting the orbit of the planet, making course for the rebel base. 

“Well, that wasn’t so bad, now was it?” asked Ra’alon with her high-pitched voice, stretching in the co-pilot’s seat since Tryon was now in the back of the ship with Gavid, guarding their prisoner. 

“Please don’t say that,” you replied with a sigh, hoping and praying your mission would go safely for the rest of the trip. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I rewrote the first chapter so many times that I am almost sick of it. Hope you liked it. I appreciate your kudos and comments :)


	2. The attack.

The rendezvous with one of the rebel cells would be on another remote planet in the Outer Rim, where your group would switch the ships and then proceed directly to Brentaal IV. You had another hour to go and you started getting anxious sitting around and doing nothing. You left the cockpit to get something to drink and somehow ended up in the back of the ship a few minutes later. The mask of Darth Vader sharply turned you way as soon as you entered the small area. You decided to ignore him. 

“You boys need anything? I can take over a watch if you need a break.”

“Nah, we got it,” replied Gavid who had not moved within the last few hours after you left Tritus, still clutching his lightning gun.

You shrugged and left, deciding now was a good time to contact General Organa. It took a few rings but soon the face of a young princess appeared on the hologram. 

“I trust everything went according to plan?” asked Leia Organa, her expression serious despite still having an almost child-like face. It always amazed you that you and Leia were the same age, yet so different in your looks and personalities. Perhaps the seriousness in Leia’s demeanor came from her high position in the Rebel Alliance, after her adoptive parents’ death and then later her twin brother. 

“Yes,” you replied. “We should be arriving at our next destination shortly.”

“That’s good,” replied Organa and then something crossed her face but before you could understand what it was it disappeared. “How’s Vader?” 

The question took you by surprise. Unsure of what the question meant you decided to answer with the facts that you knew. “He is contained by Force-dampening drugs, currently in the back of the ship under a watchful eye of Tryon and Gavid.” As an afterthought you added, “He hasn’t spoken at all.”

Leia Organa regarded you for a moment. “Does he feel  _ different _ ?”

If you weren't sure before, now you were certain that the General was hinting at something with her line of questioning. What did she mean by  _ different _ ? You furrowed your eyebrows. Could it be the General was trying to inadvertently make you confess your secret that you were Force sensitive? In the six years serving the Rebellion, you tried your hardest to blend in with the rest of the people and abstain from using your Force abilities. Tried your hardest to forget your past and the horrible deeds you had done in the name of the Empire. You had most luck until you met the Jedi Luke Skywalker in person. Even though you cloaked your Force presence well and almost shut yourself off from the Force, one look from the young man and you  _ knew  _ that he could see right through you. You supposed you were lucky that he never confronted you about it, but something told you that he must have had a discussion with his twin sister if you were to guess from the questions the General was throwing at you. 

“I’m sorry General? I don’t quite understand what you’re asking.” Better play dumb than admit to anything. You were not ready to open up to anyone about your past. 

Leia Organa simply shook her head and sighed, “Just be careful. Don’t let him get into your head. Inform me when you get to your destination and switch ships. I’m looking forward to your arrival.”

She promptly ended the transmission leaving you to ponder about the meaning of General’s words. You did not like being blindsided and kept in the dark, and especially not now when the mastermind of evil was right next door. Could it be the General was warning you that Vader knew about your abilities? The thought did little to settle your anxiety. He couldn’t have known, you tried to assure yourself. He was locked away for three years with no access to the Force, the detention center doing everything in their power to control the Dark Lord with Force inhibiting drugs on a daily basis. He must have weakened considerably during those years. You were positive in your abilities to hide your Force signature well with years of training and six years of hiding with the Rebels. Vader couldn’t possibly know. 

_ He can sense you.  _

Treacherous thought entered your mind and you huffed in annoyance. Is that what happened back on Tritus? 

You started pacing the small compartment of the ship, a nervous habit you developed over the years. But the more you thought about it the more the sentence rang with truth. Somehow Vader was able to connect with the Force if he was able to sense you. That meant he was more dangerous than you previously thought. Ra’alon words rushed back to your mind from a conversation you had earlier that day.  _ That’s what he wants us all to think.  _

Was this another reason why Leia Organa sent your team instead of anyone else? Because she knew that if anyone can complete this mission it would be yours? Because you had the Force. And you can sense if there was any danger around you coming from the Sith Lord. You stopped pacing as realization and understanding of the General’s words hit you.  _ Does he feel different?  _

“Ugh,” you groaned. “I can’t believe I’m about to do this.”

You made a silent promise to yourself years ago before joining the Rebellion that you would never use the Force again. That you would try to cut yourself off from it and try to live a normal life away from all the hurt and anger. You made many mistakes during your early years, many of which still haunted you in your nightmares. But you were trying, and had been doing well for the most part. And now you would break your promise to keep your team safe. You had grown fond of your teammates over the years, even considered them to be your family. The only family you had left. You would do  _ anything _ to keep them safe. Even going as far as opening yourself up to the Force for the first time in years. 

The prospect of it was terrifying and you almost started pacing again. But you willed your nerves and sat down on the hard floor of the ship, closing your eyes and trying to take slower breaths. This required some concentration and it took you longer than it normally would to relax. Meditation was not your strongest suit and being out of practice for so long was showing. Finally, you felt the air around you become muted and felt your mind separate from your body as you entered the meditation trance. 

You immediately became aware of the presences that were on this ship. Two of them steadily glowed in the front cockpit, Gil and Ra’alon still navigating the ship. Your attention diverted to the back of the ship and you paused before scanning Tryon and Gavid. Lastly, your focus shifted to a cooler presence, different from others in a sense that it was almost  _ alive _ in the Force. Only the Force sensitives could interact with the Force and manipulate it around them, and viewing them like this in the meditation state was different than viewing life forces of the non-sensitive beings. 

You paused and contemplated what you were sensing. The presence of the Dark Lord was not-threatening and calm, like a dark cloud in the clear blue sky but with no promise of a storm. His presence felt muted, probably due to the Force inhibiting drugs. You circled around him, trying and failing to sense any malicious intents from him. He did not feel dangerous, which was a surprise to you in its own way. You were curious and before you could stop yourself you mentally reached out to him. He felt like nothing, no real emotions or feelings that you could tell from getting this far. Shouldn’t he be angry that the Rebellion locked him away in prison?

_ Is that what you think I should be feeling? _

A male voice, quiet but strong interrupted your musings and you gasped, not expecting it. You immediately tried to pull back but something held you, like an invisible grasp of a cold hand holding on to you.

_ It is not I who you should be worrying about. Do you feel it? There is a disturbance in the Force. _

You struggled against the hold of an invisible hand, paying no mind to his words. Kriff, you were stupid. You should have listened to the warnings of the General. Damn your curiosity that got you into this mess. Now all Vader had to do was break your mind and…

_ You are not listening.  _ The voice sounded annoyed with a hint of urgency.  _ Listen to the Force. What does it tell you? _

You paused, finally registering the words spoken in your mind. You ignored the mental pull and opened yourself more to the Force, consciously aware of the invisible eyes that were closely watching you. Something indeed felt off balance in the air around you. You tilted your head trying to locate the source. It did not come from within the ship, you were certain. You let your senses guide you beyond the ship and the Force shrilled in warning as you came upon your next guess, the rendezvous point the ship was hastily approaching. You gasped, breaking the contact with the Sith Lord, or perhaps it was he who let you go, you were not sure. You scrambled to your feet and ran to the front of the cockpit just in time to see Gil about to exit the hyperspace jump. 

“Wait, Gil…” you did not have time to finish your thought as the view of an Imperial Star Destroyer greeted you. 

“Kriff,” swore Gil, as the ship tried to dove to the side to avoid detection. Gil was the best pilot in your team, fighting many wars for the Rebellion over the years and even serving under Luke Skywalker in the Rogue Squadron before joining your team. Now his skills were put to use as the ship tried to maneuver around the Star Destroyer. You had to get out of here now or your ship would be pulled by the tractor beam. 

“Is that  _ Chimaera _ ?” asked Ra’alon, her voice tight with tension.

You hissed, mentally cursing as the realization of the situation hit you. The Imperial Star Destroyer was indeed  _ Chimaera _ , once you caught a sight of the engraved creature on the ventral side of the flagship. Which meant Thrawn was here. 

“You have got to be kriffing kidding me,” exclaimed Gil as several TIE fighters were now heading their way. So much for trying not to get detected. 

“Do you need Tryon up here?” you, about to head back to the other end of the ship. 

“No time,” grunted Gil, expertly maneuvering the ship and avoiding direct hits from the TIE fighters. “I need you to man up the guns. Ra’alon you stay here, I need a co-pilot.”

You nodded, running out of the cockpit and to the middle of the ship where you climbed the ladder to get to the weapons system. Second after, the ship was hit from behind almost knocking you off your feet before you had the chance to sit down. 

“T-2,” you said over the intercom, “I need you to raise the shields in the back of the ship. We cannot afford to get hit from behind and lose our engines.”

An affirmative chirp of the droid was heard over the intercom, as you finally activated the weapons system and began firing at oncoming TIE fighters. More were coming and even with the precision with which you were shooting each TIE fighter down you could tell you were not going to get out of this mess alive if you stayed here for much longer. 

“Gil, we need to get out of here. Clear us for hyperspace jump.” 

“What about the rendezvous point?”

“Forget it,” you replied. “We were sold out, probably by Tamont and his men. Thrawn knew we were coming. No one else knew about this mission.”

You will debate more on this later, right now you had to get out of here. Gil grunted, as another shot hit the side of the ship, followed by a small explosion.

“T-2, what’s the status of the ship? Can we make the jump?” you asked, followed by long chirps and whistles that only added more stress to the dire situation you were all in. “Gil, we don’t have much time, if our ship gets hit one more time, it’s over.”

Gil was able to drop down and sideways from the TIE fighters as he positioned the ship away from the Star Destroyer and the rebel outpost below you. Seconds later the ship lurched into the hyperspace jump and your vision was greeted by the blue blur of the stars around you. 

You hastily made your way back down to the common area of the ship where the rest of the group was already gathered. Vader was pressed against one of the walls with Gavid almost shoving his gun into the chest of the Dark Lord. The atmosphere was thick with tension and everyone had their weapons drawn and pointed at Vader. 

“This was your doing, huh?” asked Gavid through tightly clenched teeth, scowling with disdain at the mask of the Dark Lord. “You told the Empire, didn’t you?”

Vader seemed unfazed by the situation, as though he did not mind having a gun pressed at the control panel in the center of his chest. His mask once again found your gaze but Vader said nothing. 

“We should just kill him,” said Ra’alon as she unsthead two blades from each side of her hips. “Do the rest of the galaxy a favor and rid it of the monster.”

You stepped forward to block Ra’alon’s way. “We are still on a mission. We have direct orders from the General to bring him in  _ alive _ .” Your brown eyes gazed into the blazing eyes of the Twi’lek woman, staring her down.

“Commander is right,” said Gil coming up behind Ra’alon and placing a hand on her shoulder. “This is not the place nor time to have this argument. We still have our orders.”

Ra’alon hissed in anger before angrily pushing herself away from Gil and stalked out of the room. She was still a child in some ways, letting her anger get in the way was one of them. 

“We need to check the ship for any signs of being hit by tracking beacons,” said Tryon who prior to this moment was observing this situation with a calculating look on his feline features. “We need to make a stop and also look at the damage done to this ship. We can’t be traveling across the whole galaxy in a ship that could give out at any moment.”

Give it to the Bothan species to think everything through in a short amount of time. Tryon was the only one who had a level head on his shoulders out of all of them in a group. His high intelligence and expertise as a spy for the Rebellion made him an invaluable team member ever since he joined your group three years ago. Roughly after most of his family was killed acquiring intelligence on the second Death Star and during the Battle of Endor. 

“T-2,” you turned to the little astromech droid in the corner of the room. “What’s the closest planet to us that has no Imperial military forces stationed there? Preferably something… less civilized.” 

The droid rolled over to the designated station and plugged himself in to the central computer system. After a few seconds the droid chirped and whistled in binary a few of the options around them. One of them stood out to you.

“Tatooine.”


	3. Tatooine.

The desert planet came into view as Gil and Tryon were navigating the ship towards the surface of the planet. You had limited time to do inspections on the ship and check for any trackers. You all hoped the damage from TIE fighters was minimal. 

As soon as the ship landed outside the outskirts of Mos Espa, the group immediately jumped to action. You and Ra’alon were outside the ship seconds after landing checking the vessel for any signs of tracking beacons. Ra’alon climbed the top of the ship due to her smaller form and agile body while you were inspecting the ship from the ground. 

Gil and Tryon were working together checking the damage done to the ship and communicating with T-2 to run some tests while Gavid stayed inside the ship with Vader. 

“No signs of any tracking beacons,” announced Ra’alon after a few minutes working in silence. You hummed in response, also finding none. It was strange indeed to think the Empire willingly let you get away. Something did not add up. 

“How’s the damage?” you asked coming up to Gil who was currently working on some wiring. From the looks of it the ship sustained minor damage but there were some parts of the ship needing to be fixed up before they departed. 

“Some wiring got fried,” replied Gil. “One of the engines also sustained some damage, Tryon is currently working on it. At least we don’t need to get any new parts.” 

“That’s good,” you replied coming up the ramp. You barely made it inside before almost colliding into the chest panel of Darth Vader. Not expecting him to be so close to the exit of the ship you involuntarily gasped bracing yourself for any imminent danger. None followed and your gaze traveled up to meet the black void of his mask. His form was towering over your small one and you frowned wondering just how tall he really was. 

“Gavid, _what the hell?_ ” you hissed, spotting the man off to the side, casually standing with his gun hanging loose by his side instead of pointing it at the Sith Lord. “What the hell did you do?” you now rounded up on Vader forgetting your earlier mishap with him. 

“We need to get off the ship,” Vader said, not at all intimidated by you shooting deadly glares at him. You briefly noted that this was the first time you had heard his voice in person, minus the time you heard it inside your head. His vocoder distorted his voice and you realized that you actually _liked_ hearing it. What the hell was wrong with you?

“What? _Why?_ ” you asked, confused and taken back by this odd conversation. 

“I need your help.”

His next words stopped you in your tracks and you were visibly gaping at him forgetting your earlier anger at him. Did you imagine hearing it?

“I strongly suspect I have a tracker implanted within my suit,” continued Vader. “It is how the Empire is able to track me and our current location. It won’t be long before the Imperial fleet will show up here. I need your help disabling it.”

You were still gaping at him when you felt a nudge in the Force coming from him. You shook your head to clear your thoughts. “You decided to tell me this now? Why should I trust you?”

“I was not sure of it before we left the detention block. I hardly have any memory of that place.” You were about to ask what he meant by that but Vader continued, “It is only after we arrived at your Rebel outpost that I started to suspect that was the case. The High Security officer, Tamont, would not have known the location of where you would have taken me. Which leads me to believe he gave access to the device to track me to someone in the Empire. It seems you have a traitor within your Rebel Alliance.”

You furrowed your eyebrows deep in thought. It was as you suspected yourself. The Empire could not have known about your mission and it was no mere coincidence to have been greeted by Thrawn’s Star Destroyer as though he expected you to be there. You did not like this at all.

“And where do you suspect this tracker is?”

“Within one of the computer systems regulating my suit. It is possible that removing this tracker would be difficult in this situation if not impossible.” 

You were about to ask more before Vader added, “Which is why we need to leave this ship and find a new one. Most likely your ship is now broadcasted across the galaxy by the Empire for a small fortune. Every bounty hunter will be in search of it.” Vader turned his mask to look past the open ramp of the ship into the desolate desert of Tatooine. “This is the last place we should be in right now.”

“Well excuse me,” you bristled, placing your hands on your hips. “If it wasn’t for _your_ Empire we wouldn't be in this mess. Actually, let me rephrase it. If it wasn’t for _you._ ”

Vader’s helmet turned back in your direction, his demeanor immediately changing and before you could even blink, he was towering over you. “I am no longer part of the Empire.” He almost spit the words out, his vocoder failing to conceal the anger in his voice. “I gave up that right after I surrendered myself to your Rebel’s High Command after the Battle of Endor. Or did they forget to mention this detail to you?”

_What?_ This was news to you. Vader surrendered himself? But why? He could have had the Empire to himself after Palpatine’s death. What prompted him to do that? Was he lying to you? 

You narrowed your eyes, instead focusing on the problem at hand. “ _Fine_. We need to find a ship, then what? If you are convinced you are the tracker it won’t matter how many ships we get, the Empire will find us.”

“Which is why I need you to get me to Mustafar before we reach your Rebel base.”

“You are _insane_ if you think your mind tricks will work on me!” you exclaimed, reaching for your blaster.

Vader ignored your outburst instead focusing on your face. “Mustafar is the only place I can take off my suit and have my droids find the tracker in less time than you or your Rebels can. We cannot afford to lose more time.” Hint of impatience was leaking through his vocoder. 

“No.” you said, shaking your head. You won’t fall for his tricks. Mustafar was completely off route from your destination and bringing him there would only make it easier for him to get to his full power. It was like offering him a golden apple on a plate and watching him take it and doing nothing about it. “I am not taking you to Mustafar and if you think that…”

You were interrupted by Ra’alon running up the ramp and shouting, “Star Destroyer! Just appeared out of nowhere. How could they have known…” She paused when she saw Darth Vader standing in the middle of the ship in very close proximity to you and with your blaster pointing in his direction. “What’s going on?”

“Kriff,” you cursed, ignoring the Twi’lek woman and putting your blaster away. 

At this moment Gavid finally snapped out of whatever caused him to be unresponsive in the first place (you highly suspected a mind trick placed by Vader) and nearly knocked you over trying to get between you and Vader. 

“Back off.” Gavid growled in his low gruff voice, pointing his gun at Vader’s mask. 

“Gavid, now is not the time.” You placed a hand on his shoulder trying to calm him down. Tryon and Gil both walked up the ramp to join you at the exact moment. “We need to get off this planet, alive.” You quickly glanced at Vader and sighed, afraid that you would regret your next decision. “We need to find a new ship. Gather your things as quickly as possible and let’s head out.” 

You ignored everyone’s stares and shocked expressions and headed back further into the ship to gather your belongings. You at least agreed with Vader on the fact that you could not use this ship any longer, lest you wanted to get captured. T-2 was in the corner chirping and whistling in binary to you but you ignored him. Your gaze fell on a dark cloak neatly folded by the foot of the chair you frequently used as your “office space”. Memories flooded your mind but you ignored them and reached for the cloak. This would be useful. 

“Okay, care to tell me what this is all about?” Ra’alon was standing by the entrance of the room with hands crossed over her chest. “And don’t tell me that _now is not the time_.”

You sighed and turned around to face the young woman. “We are being tracked, don’t ask how I will explain it later.” You looked at Ra’alon with a challenging look in your eyes. You did not want to argue with her right now. “Our ship is a liability. We need to find a new one and get off this planet.” 

You hoped the answer would suffice the Twi’lek woman but instead was met by a skepticism written on Ra’alon’s face. “Okay, what about Vader?”

“What about him?” you ignored another dirty look from Ra’alon and turned around to grab your bag as you started to pack your personal belongings in a hurry. There wasn't that much to begin with and you made sure to grab your datapad with the mission details on it. 

“Are you just going to ignore the fact that he is obviously trying to manipulate us? He is our prisoner yet he acts like he owns this place.” Ra’alon threw her hands in the air clearly exasperated. “This is the perfect opportunity for him to escape. And are we just going to walk in the city with him looking like that?”

“Which is why I have this.” You showed her the cloak. “Please, Ra’alon, let’s discuss this _after_ we find a new ship. I want to reach the city before we get swarmed by stormtroopers.” 

You came up to the Twi’lek woman silently pleading with her to drop this pointless argument. Ra’alon squinted her yellow eyes but said nothing to you as she sharply turned around and left to grab her belongings. 

You came up to the ramp to find Vader still standing in the same area he was when you left a few minutes ago. You approached him and extended the cloak you were holding to him. “Here, take this.”

When Vader didn’t take it you groaned and almost rolled your eyes. Why did he have to be so difficult? “You can’t expect to walk around in your suit and armor in the middle of the day looking like this?” 

You made a vague gesture with your free hand to his overall appearance. His legendary cape was missing, quite unnecessary at the detention center you guessed. Parts of his armor such as shoulder guards and shin guards were also missing and he was left with just basic necessities such as his leather suit, chest plate, belt, boots, gloves and of course, his menacing mask. Regardless of his incomplete look, people on remote planets such as Tatoone would still easily recognize him. 

“I need you to put this on so it can at least hide the upper portion of your suit.” You explained as you shoved the cloak to him. “Make sure to cover your mask.”

Vader was silent as he contemplated what you just said before turning sideways and bringing up his hands that were still tied up behind his back with Force cuffs. _Oh right._ You forgot about that small detail. You internally groaned before coming up closer to him and standing on your tiptoes you wrapped the cloak around his shoulders, vaguely aware that he was staring at you. You quickly stepped back as the rest of the group emerged with their belongings. Not wasting any more time you all set out into the heat of the desert towards Mos Espa. 

You glanced at the sky to see the Imperial flagship within close proximity to the planet’s orbit. It would only be a matter of time before the stormtroopers and TIE fighters would swarm this place. You glanced back at Vader and noted with approval that you were able to makeshift a short Jedi-like robe with a hood that hid his mask and chest panel of his life support system. Vader kept his head low to keep the hood from moving too much and revealing his mask and helmet. If anyone would actually try and walk up to him they would instantly recognize him. You had to make sure no one would get too close to him. You edged closer to him to his right side as Gavid was on the left and slightly behind clutching his gun. Vader acknowledged your presence by turning his hooded mask to look at you. 

“We should split up,” you announced as you thought out the plan inside your head. “That way we have a better chance getting a ship and not drawing too much attention to ourselves.” 

It would indeed be suspicious for a group of six humanoids and one droid to show up together in a spaceport such as Mos Espa. Not to mention Vader was sticking out like a sore thumb with his black clothing and his enormous height. 

“Ra’alon, Gil and Tryon, you guys try to find us a ship,” you continued as you were nearing the first sandy buildings of the city. “Gavid, I and T-2 will be with Vader. We will try to take cover in one of the buildings.” You needed to keep Vader off populated streets and avoid chances of someone recognizing him. And Gavid wasn’t helping either with wearing a stormtrooper armor. You have heard of animosity towards the Imperials in this place. 

“Keep your comlinks on at all times. I want to know about your progress. Let’s try to wrap this up in thirty minutes.”

The group parted separate ways and you were left in the company of two men and a droid. Now for the hard part. Trying to stay within shades of the buildings acting like you aren’t sneaking around and acting suspicious while also finding a place to hide Vader. The heat of the two suns in the middle of the day was unbearable and you regretted wearing tight black pants and a leather jacket on top of knee high boots and gloves. You were sweating and your long wavy hair was clinging to your neck even after you put it up in a high ponytail. You glanced at Vader and almost felt sorry for him, it might be even hotter for him in that suit. 

You focused back on your task. You surveilled the area ahead of you not seeing many prospects of finding a good hiding spot. You were about to head out before Vader spoke. 

“There is a shop nearby where we could take cover. It is just a few blocks down if we try to avoid main roads.”

You turned back to the man, raising your eyebrow and with suspicion in your eyes stared at him. “And you know this how?”

Vader hesitated for a moment before replying, “I grew up here.”

This was news to you too. You found you barely knew anything about this man, besides knowing about his violent tendencies in the past and the many atrocities he committed in the name of the Empire. Yet you kept learning little things about him that intrigued you and you found you wanted to learn more, much to your disdain. 

“The name of the shop owner is Watto,” Vader continued, “We can trust him.”

You exchanged glances with Gavid before shrugging. There weren’t many options you were left with in this situation. You knew Vader was telling the truth and it eased your nerves just a little even though deep down you knew you should not be trusting this man. 

“Alright, lead the way.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope this chapter made sense. i rewrote it so many times and I am still not happy about it.  
> The outcome of the last part of the story was going to be totally different and I used that part in the next few chapters instead.  
> Also, it's really hard for me to write Ra'alon for some reason. She is just this spunky, rebellious and hard-headed person. Kind of like Ahsoka in her earlier years, but worse.


	4. The best pilot.

The small shop was littered with junk parts of various kinds, leaving barely any free space to sit or even stand comfortably for someone with a height as Darth Vader’s. You glanced around trying to locate the owner of the shop. You didn’t have to wait long as you soon spotted a male Taydorian flying around the corner and stopping in the center of his shop when he spotted your group. 

“Ah, customers!” exclaimed Watto, coming up closer to them. “Looking for some parts? I just received a fresh bunch from the Mid Rim. Anything from speeder parts to humidifiers to…”

Watto stopped mid sentence when he noticed a black clad figure of Vader, trying to peer under the hood that was covering Vader’s mask. You stepped forward blocking the Taydorian’s view. 

“Actually, we were hoping you could point us in the right location where we can get a ship.” You said, half lying to him and hoping to stall for more time. 

“A ship?” exclaimed Watto, furrowing his already wrinkled face. “You have enough credits for that?”

Watto looked you up and down, clearly seeing what others saw when they looked at you. A young woman with an innocent looking face, dark eyes with a smooth golden skin, a petite body that looked fragile but had all the right curves accentuated by the tight clothing you preferred to wear in case you had to fight your way out. He clearly saw that he could take advantage of you.

“A ship is veryyy expensive,” drawled Watto with a calculated look in his eyes. “I have a ship. But it will cost you money. Lots of it.”

You supposed you could continue playing the part and look interested like you were considering buying his ship. You hoped the other group had better luck finding something that did not cost a fortune. 

“Alright, I want to see it.” 

Watto narrowed his eyes. “I want to see your credits first.”

“No, not until you show me the ship.” You knew how to play this game of bickering with greedy dealers. 

Watto humped and turned around flapping his wings behind him as he led you further back into the ship. At least you succeeded in stalling for more time, you thought, as you glanced behind you to look at Vader. He was quiet if you didn’t count the harsh breaths of his respirator filling the room. 

Watto led you out the back of his shop in what looked like a backyard with an open overhead filled with just as much junk as the inside of his shop. There in the corner you spotted what looked like a very old version of an ARC-170 starfighter used during the Clone Wars.

“That’s your ship?” you asked incredulously. “Does that thing even work?”

“Of course it works!” exclaimed Watto indignantly. 

“That  _ thing _ is old! It’s probably older than me,” you continued, coming up closer to inspect the rusty thing Watto considered a “ship”. And as you noted it only had three seats with a space for an astromech droid on the top. That would not work at all. 

“My boy knows his stuff,” continued Watto as he circled around you. “He fixes all kinds of things. It works.”

You just now noticed a young boy, probably not much older than ten years old, looking at you from another corner of the shop with grime and dirt all over his face. He was very skinny, wearing old tattered garments that were too big for him. His dark curly hair was falling into his dark eyes, the kid clearly needed a haircut and a proper bath. He tentatively got up from his spot and hurried over to you. 

“This is Maxir,” said Watto, flying over to the boy. “He is a good mechanic. One of the best. Probably just as good as the kid I had years ago, Anakin.”

You saw Vader shift in your peripheral vision and felt a dark emotion escaping from him and just as soon retracting inside him like it was never there. You were concerned but before you could identify what that was your comlink went off. You excused yourself and went back inside the shop, just as you heard the unmistakable sounds of TIE fighters flying over the city. 

“Commander,” Gil said over the comlink. “We found the ship. The problem is the city is surrounded by stormtroopers. Looks like they sent a whole battalion down.”

“Kriff,” you cursed. Things were surely not going your way at all since you first met Vader. “What’s your location?”

Gil sent over the coordinates and you cursed again. The other group was on the opposite side of the city. There was no way you could make it across the city without getting caught. 

“What’s an Empire doing here?” Watto’s voice carried across the shop and you saw him poking his finger at Gavid. “I want you out of my shop. I don’t want no Imperial scumbags herfing through my shop!”

“Sir, I am not part of…” Gavid tried to reason with the Toydarian man but was interrupted once again. 

“Get out! Your Empire has no jurisdiction here. I want no part of it.” 

“Gil, I will contact you in a minute,” you said as you came out of the shop towards the scene. “I will buy this ship, how much for it?”

Watto looked at you in disdain. “I just said I don’t want any deals with the Imperials.”

“We are not…” You huffed in annoyance as your voice was drowned by more TIE fighters screeching above your heads. The situation was beginning to look more desperate by the minute. 

“I want 30,000 credits,” announced Watto.

“ _ What? _ ” you exclaimed, losing your cool. “For that junk? No.”

“No money, no deal,” replied Watto.

“I will pay you a maximum of 5,000,” you said, trying to reason with the stubborn Toydarian. 

“That is the worst deal I have ever heard of,” replied Watto as he flew past you into the shop. “If you don’t have the money then get out.”

You were about to protest until the door to the shop flew open and you saw two stormtroopers standing with their weapons drawn. Right, a tracker. Did they already know Vader was here?

You gritted your teeth as you drew your own blaster. You moved out of the way closer to Vader to block their view of him. Gavid was already moving towards the front of the shop, his gun ready to fire if needed. Right now you had an advantage, you thought. Gavid was wearing his armor, perhaps he can alleviate the situation by talking with the other two stormtroopers. You didn’t get the chance to hear what was being said as you felt a heavy hand on your shoulder tugging you backwards. You exhaled sharply turning to find Vader’s black glove,  _ unrestrained _ , holding you. 

“ _ What the hell? _ ” you hissed. How the hell did Vader get out of his Force cuffs?

“We need to get out of here,” replied Vader, tugging you towards the beat up starfighter. “Is there fuel in it?” Vader turned his mask to look at the frightened face of a young boy still standing in the middle of a backyard. 

“Nuh-uh,” replied Maxir, staring with wide eyes at the two of you. 

“Then get us fuel. Now.” Vader barked, showing the boy with the Force towards the fuel tanks. You stood with your mouth open trying to process the situation. Vader turned around to glare at you. 

“Are you just going to stand there? Vader growled, turning around and heading towards the ropes and chains that secured the starfighter to the walls of the shop. “Or are you going to help me?”

You moved out of your own accord, the back of your mind screaming that Vader was using the Force ( _ but how? _ ) to move you forward. You came out of your stupor and went around the other side of the ship blasting the chains with your blaster and cutting down the ropes with your knife. You worked quickly and efficiently, listening to the conversation inside of the shop. Sounded like Watto was not too happy with having more Imperials inside his shop. 

Maxir was struggling with the fuel lines due to his small size and Vader took over the job, lifting the fuel cables and effortlessly connecting them to the starfighter. He then jumped inside the pilot’s compartment of the ship and started performing the various flight sequences with precision that only comes from knowing the ship schematics and the navigational controls. Vader was obviously familiar with the ship. 

“Get in,” Vader commanded looking at you.

You shook your head. “What about Gavid? And the others?” 

“Leave them,” barked Vader, the impatient tone leaking through his vocoder. 

“I am not going anywhere without them,” you gritted through your teeth, folding your hands across your chest. 

“You will, or I can make you.” Vader growled, pointing his gloved finger in your direction. 

You were about to respond when your attention was snapped towards the front of the shop and the sound of blasters shooting. Gavid yelled something out before the wail of the Toydarian traveled across the shop. Someone shot Watto. You saw Maxir trying to run to the front of the shop and you acted on instinct, snatching the kid before he made it halfway across and covering his mouth with your hand to prevent him from screaming. 

“Bad idea, kid.” You dragged the kid away towards the ship. “Now, you listen to me.” 

You turned him around and crouched so you could be on eye level with him. “These stormtroopers won’t stop at anything before they get what they want. That includes shooting you as well.” You made a point by slightly shaking the kid. “I need you to stay low, okay? Don’t draw too much attention to yourself.”

Gavid walked in at that moment with a grim expression on his face. “The owner of the shop got shot.” He paused to survey the scene before him. He clearly had questions written on his face about what Vader was doing in the pilot’s seat of the starfighter but his stormtrooper training prevented him from voicing his questions. He focused on you instead. 

“I shot the other two stromtroopers. More are coming. There were a group of them outside the shop not too far off. Possibly five or seven, couldn’t tell.”

You nodded your head, still looking at the kid. This was complicating the problem even more. You couldn’t leave the kid all by himself. You glanced at Vader who was still glaring at you, and you envisioned that he must be scowling behind his mask at your blunt refusal to his earlier command. You already had a plan in your mind, one you did not like even one bit. 

“Gavid, I need you to take this kid with you and make your way across the city to this location.” You sent the coordinates that Gil sent to you earlier to Gavid’s comlink. Gavid had the best chance of making it across the city without much trouble, thanks to his stormtrooper armor. He could blend in with the rest of the Imperial army. Hiding in plain sight, per say. 

“They found a ship, it should be bigger than this piece of junk.” You nodded your head to the said starfighter. 

“What about you?” asked Gavid.

“I am leaving with Vader,” before Gavid had a chance to argue with you, you continued. “I am taking T-2 with me to keep communications with you open and to watch over me.” You smiled, knowing that Gavid was worried about you and if you at least took T-2 with you it would placate the man somewhat. 

“We have a better chance escaping the Imperial hold on this planet by leaving in two different ships. Plus, the Empire is tracking Vader and not you. I would feel somewhat better knowing you were okay.”

Gavid was not happy with these turn of events but there was not much he could do to argue with your logic. The man sighed and then glared at Vader. 

“If he does anything that jeopardizes your life, you shoot him.” 

“Oh, don’t you worry,” you drawled. “I’m not going to hesitate to shoot him.” 

_ You can certainly try.  _ Vader’s unamused, dry response came from the mental link that you were somehow still connected to. You frowned at that but decided not to respond. 

T-2 situated himself on top of the fighter, while you threw your bag inside and climbed into the second compartment of the starfighter, right behind Vader. Gavid was down below disconnecting the fuel lines from the ship. The controls of the ship were foreign to you and before you could ask, Vader beat you to it.

“I will handle the flight maneuvers,” Vader said, as he lowered down the front hatch of the ship, sealing you in. “Your job is to take care of any  _ obstacles _ on our way. The controls in front of you allow you to operate laser cannons.”

Vader flicked a few more buttons on the console panel in front of him, preparing to take off. “Since we don’t have a tailgunner, we don’t have the ability to use the rear-facing cannon. So watch your surroundings when you start shooting. We are vulnerable from behind.” 

“You have plenty of confidence, don’t you?” you grumbled, as you heard more TIE fighters approaching. How were you going to just fly out of this shop without anyone noticing and not drawing the attention of the many TIE fighters around you?

“You must be forgetting,” Vader replied as the engines of the fighter turned on and he easily maneuvered the bulky ship out of the overhead opening of the shop. “That I am the best pilot in the galaxy.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I shot Watto (maybe even killed him, you decide). I never really liked him.  
> Now for the fun part :)


	5. Reversed roles.

The ship was surprisingly responsive to the sudden maneuvers Vader was doing and you barely had the chance to look down to see Gavid and Maxir staring up at you before the ship lurched and you were flying upwards toward the approaching TIE fighters. 

“I thought the whole point of getting away was to fly _away_ from these things,” you exclaimed, slight panic in your voice. 

“What’s the fun in that?” Vader replied casually, spinning around and under the TIE fighters. 

“Vader, _are you serious_?” You never thought you’d hear something like that coming out of Vader’s mouth. 

“Get ready to fire,” Vader said instead and you immediately focused on the approaching TIE fighters on the right side of the ship. 

Figuring out which buttons were for shooting lasers was easy. Trying and failing to focus them on the ships around you was hard. 

“What are you waiting for?” Vader snapped as TIE fighters around you started shooting at the ship you were in and only due to Vader’s incredible flight skills were you not hit. 

“I am _trying_!” you yelled, finally getting the hang of the sensors and shooting down the first TIE fighter with your direct hit. 

Vader was insane, you thought, as he deliberately flew the ship too close to the TIE fighters and spinned out of their trajectories so you would not get hit. He always positioned the ship so it would be easier for you to fire at the ships around you with your laser cannons but also keep the back of your fighter relatively open from any TIE fighters. 

“This should be enough,” announced Vader and lurched the ship down towards the ground and away from the city. 

“Enough for what?” you asked, confused. 

“Enough for your stormtrooper and that kid to get out of the shop unnoticed.”

That took you by surprise. “You did this on purpose.” The realization hit you seconds later. “That’s why you engaged those TIE fighters.”

Vader did not respond as he continued flying, keeping up with speed against TIE fighters that were behind you. You glanced at the sky to see Thrawn’s Star Destroyer still orbiting the planet. This will be tricky. 

“How are you planning to get past that Star Destroyer?” you asked Vader, curious of his answer. 

“I am not. I am planning on flying towards it.”

“What? _Are you insane?_ ” you exclaimed, forgetting your earlier curiosity. “Wait, scratch that. You are insane! Thrawn won’t just let you get past him that easily.”

“Thrawn?” Vader asked, sounding surprised, even though it was hard to tell from his vocoder. “You mean to tell me the man that’s tracking me down is Grand Admiral Thrawn?” 

“Yes,” you answered, and as an afterthought you added. “He now calls himself Supreme Leader of the New Galactic Empire.”

Vader was silent for a moment before swiftly changing the course of the flight in the opposite direction and away from the Star Destroyer. 

“We will continue this conversation after we get off this planet,” Vader said as he started gaining speed and altitude towards the outer surface of the planet. You glanced behind you and grimaced as you noticed that at least a dozen if not more TIE destroyers were on your tail gaining the distance between you two. 

“I don’t suppose you are planning on doing anything about them, do you?” you asked, afraid to hear another one of his insane plans. 

“I won’t have to,” Vader replied, as he was entering the coordinates for a hyperspace jump. 

“Where are we going?” you asked, not recognizing the coordinates immediately. 

“I already told you,” Vader replied as you finally made it out of the planet’s orbit and were greeted by more TIE fighters. 

By the way Vader jerked the ship, he was prepared and expected the attack coming from all sides around you two. T-2 whistled his warnings just in time, as Vader rotated the ship away from the blast of lasers that would have hit the back of your fighter. You were starting to get nauseous from the way Vader was flying the ship, everything becoming a blur around you. More lasers were shooting at you and even with his skills, Vader wasn’t able to avoid all the shots as some of them hit the sides of the ship, rattling you inside. When you thought you couldn’t take any more of it much longer, Vader spinned the ship sideways and away from the TIE fighters and hit the coordinates to hyperspace. You felt the familiar lurch of the ship and then everything went quiet as you watched the blur of stars around you.

As the adrenaline wore off and you were beginning to cool off, the situation you were in was finally sinking in and you grimaced. What the hell were you thinking getting in with Vader, _alone_ , on the same ship? And now he was flying you both to Force-know-what place and…

Wait a second. “Where did you say we were headed?” you asked Vader, already knowing in the pit of your stomach you weren’t going to like his answer. 

Vader tilted his helmet your way before replying, “Mustafar.”

Yep, just as you thought, you did not like his answer at all. You bit your lower lip to stop yourself from screaming at him or doing anything else that would make your situation worse. Like thinking about reaching for your blaster and shooting him. 

_Doing so would be very unwise._

Just as the first time it happened, hearing Vader’s unfiltered voice inside your head was startling and you gasped. This has got to stop.

“How are you doing this?” you asked Vader with a hint of suspicion in your voice. He shouldn’t be able to connect to the Force or use it at all if what you heard about Force inhibiting drugs was true. Yet here he was exhibiting his Force abilities in full display less than an hour ago and now here with you. 

“How did you get out of the Force cuffs?”

“Do you really want to know?” asked Vader with a hint of smugness in his tone that vocoder did a poor job to conceal. 

_No._ You thought, knowing you won’t like his answer. Instead you tersely replied with “Yes.” 

“The Force inhibiting drugs that you are so convinced are the only thing keeping me immobilized stopped working on me a long time ago.” Vader announced shocking you speechless. “The fools thought injecting me with these drugs daily would render me weak and keep me subdued. Well, at least for the first few months they did.” Vader shrugged as though he didn’t just admit the fact that he gave away his upper hand.

You watched the back of his helmet with wide open eyes not aware that your mouth was hanging open like a gaping fish until you snapped it shut and snapped at him. “So you were pretending this whole time?”

“Indeed,” replied Vader, still clutching the controls of the ship. 

The silence that followed stretched for several minutes, giving you some time to think things through. You were a fool to think that Vader could be controlled, and even more of a fool in believing that you of all people could do it. You had to rethink your situation. Right now Vader was in control. You, in a sense, was his prisoner. You had to play your cards right. 

“So, what makes you think Mustafar is not as compromised as anywhere else we would go to with that damn tracker on you?” 

“I suppose we will find out once we get there,” replied Vader. Well, that did little so settle your nerves. 

“Okay,” you started, multiple questions running on the tip of your tongue. You picked the one that was bothering you the most. “So what’s on Mustafar? Why is it the only place where you can take off your suit?”

Vader was quiet for a long time and you were about to give up on the conversation before he finally replied, “I have a personal fortress there.”

You were about to ask more when Vader started, “It will be a while before we reach Mustafar. For now, I have questions of my own.” 

You didn’t get the chance to say anything before Vader asked his first one, “When did Thrawn assume control of the Empire?”

You considered his question for a moment. There was no harm in letting Vader know about this piece of information. “Thrawn announced himself a new ruler of the galaxy a few weeks ago. It was during the third year anniversary of the Battle of Endor.” You paused, memories of the day flooding your mind. 

You were for once back on the Rebel base, unwinding after the recent return from one of your solo missions. You meant to grab something to drink from a common area where the festivities were planned later on that day, but instead you were met with grim silence of everyone in the room. Your attention was drawn to a holo figure of a tall blue man with red eyes giving a speech and announcing himself a Supreme Leader of the New Galactic Empire. The Galactic War was far from over. His announcement only sparked more animosity of people towards the Empire. 

Vader considered this information for a moment. “And what does your Rebel Alliance hope to gain from me?”

You had asked the same question when you first heard of the mission from General Organa. You were given a cryptic response and were told to cease your questioning. You weren’t sure what to tell Vader. You were in the dark just as much as he was. 

“I don’t know,” you quietly replied, lost in your own thoughts. You decided to keep to yourself about your suspicions that the Rebel High Command had no clue that Vader was once again loose in the galaxy, besides General Organa. 

It got quiet once again and you actually preferred it that way. You wondered if the rest of your team made it out okay. With the show that Vader put on you highly suspected they had no trouble getting away from the Imperials if all their eyes were focused on you two. You smiled at the fond memory of them. 

“Why do you hide your Force abilities?”

And just like that the smile vanished from your lips and you scowled your face. 

“ _That_ ,” you hissed, “is none of your business.”

Vader tilted his helmet as if listening to something, or perhaps feeling the Force around him. 

“I have made you angry,” he observed. “You have a lot of anger in you. I can feel it.”

You rolled your eyes at that. You did not need a kriffing lecture from the Sith Lord. You tried to calm down, taking deep breaths of air. You didn’t need to use much shielding in the last three years after Luke Skywalker’s death. There were no more Jedi left in the galaxy. No Force sensitives near you who could sense your presence. You tried to mute it and tried to close yourself off from the Force, but with not much luck. It was like the Force was insisting that you remained open to it. 

But now, in the presence of Vader, you had to start rebuilding your shields. It was too easy for him to enter inside your mind. Too easy for him to listen in to your thoughts. You were entirely susceptible to his manipulations, much to your disdain. It didn’t help your nerves that you were also heading towards Vader’s home planet, or whatever he liked to call it. You were starting to feel helpless and you did not like that feeling at all. 

“I apologize for making you angry.”

That comment only made you feel more frustrated and before you could stop yourself, you snapped. “Like you give a shit.”

The rest of the flight was spent in silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, yes, Darth Vader is definitely OC in this chapter. His Anakin side was showing during their getaway. You know how much he likes flying and showing off his skills.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed it! The next few chapters are my favorite. Lots of alone time between the two.


	6. Mustafar.

You didn’t realize you dozed off until the ship lurched out of hyperspace. You were greeted by the red and black mass of the planet in front of you. Vader wasted no time and soon started ascending the ship into the planet’s orbit. You watched in detached amazement and horror as you neared the tall black structure, sitting on top of a highest point on the planet’s surface and surrounded by many rivers and waterfalls of lava. Vader’s fortress. 

You felt unease creep up the back of your neck. No, you thought, not unease. What you felt was the Dark Side of the Force. It was permeating the whole planet, seeping through you, trying to suffocate you. You gritted your teeth as you tried to wrestle with it. It had been too long since you felt the Dark Side of the Force so strong. It brought many memories that were better left forgotten. You only hoped you wouldn’t be staying here for too long. 

Vader maneuvered the ship into one of the docking bays of the castle and with expertise that only comes with years of flying, smoothly landed it. He was soon shutting down the computer systems of the ship, as he opened up the hatch. 

“Stay here,” he commanded as he jumped down on the sleek platform of the landing bay. 

You were about to argue and started to get up as he continued, “I need to disengage the security systems. Stay on the ship until I am done.”

You let your annoyance and anger seep through at his commanding tone. You were not one of his soldiers. In fact, as you reminded yourself, he was still your prisoner. 

Vader walked off into one of the many passages that were hidden in the dark of his fortress without looking back at you. You narrowed your eyes at his retreating form. If he thought he could command you, he was in for a surprise. 

You looked around yourself to gather your senses. There was nothing that looked particularly interesting as everything was in shades of back, accentuated by the red hue coming off from the lava that was below you.  _ Must be his favorite color _ , you thought wryly. The air was dry and hot, and you could smell hints of sulphur permeating the air. If you thought Tatooine was hot, the definition of hot on Mustafar was on a totally different level. 

You weren’t going to stay on the ship, regardless of what Vader told you. So you hopped off on the platform and patted the smooth red and white dome of the astromech droid. 

“Come on, T-2.”

The droid whistled in what sounded like a concern. 

“It’s okay,” you reassured the little droid as you started walking towards the middle of the large hangar. “I just want to explore a little.”

The R2-T2 droid chirped in its binary before disengaging himself from its spot on the ship and joined you as you continued walking. 

The hangar bay was spacious with a tall ceiling that you couldn’t even tell how far up it went since it was so dark. It must be night time on this planet. Your boots made a clicking noise on the smooth sleek platform of the bay that echoed around the empty walls. You noticed several Imperial shuttles were parked off to the side and a couple of TIE fighters that were custom-made and different from the ones you’ve encountered. These must be Darth Vader’s personal fighters. You stopped in front of one as you admired its simplicity and beauty. You secretly admired the Imperial fighters for their design, as you once had owned one yourself. Now all you’ve ever flown since joining the Rebel Alliance were beat up T-65 X-wing starfighters and the VCX-100 light freighters when you were on one of your missions with your team. 

The thought of them made you feel nostalgic. You had to find time and place to contact them. Your comlink was out of range and you hoped to make a holo call once you had that capability. And then there was an issue with trying to contact the Rebel Alliance. You missed your scheduled call with General Organa and you suspected she was already aware that something went wrong. You hoped your team was able to contact her and inform her of what happened. 

Which brought you to the next pressing issue at hand. Darth Vader. You weren’t sure what you thought of him. All the stories you’ve heard of him were painting him as a cold, heartless monster, merciless and swift in his ways of killing those that stood in his way. But the man you witnessed with your own eyes was none of the above things. He was calm, controlled, and  _ detached _ . That’s what you felt when you probed him with the Force back on your cruiser. You wondered what made him feel that way. Was it being imprisoned for the last three years, or was it something else?

Your train of thought was interrupted when you heard a soft clinking noise in the far dark corner of the bay, some distance away from you. You turned around trying to peer into the dark, tensing up when you felt some sort of a disturbance in the Force. Before you had the chance to identify what that was, the feeling was gone and you were left standing with your blaster drawn ready to fight. 

“I thought I told you to stay on the ship.”

You almost jumped out of your skin as you twirled around to find Vader standing with his hands across the chest, looking very much intimidating and pissed. How the hell did you not hear him approach you?

“Nothing happened,” you shrugged, trying to calm your beating heart. “See, I am still alive.”

Perhaps that was the wrong choice of words to use because Vader shifted his stance and towered over you. 

“Yes,” he growled. “I can see that.”

You decided to ignore his comment and instead got right to business. “I assume since you’re here the initial security systems have been turned off? So we can proceed with removing the tracker?”

Vader was still glaring at you but his stance relaxed. “I will handle the tracker. You will do nothing and stay where you are told to stay.”

You bristled at his comment and flushed with anger, as you stepped closer to him. This required for you to raise your chin even higher in order to glare at Vader as you hissed, “Now you listen to me. I am not one of your soldiers. You will not talk to me this way. I am coming with you whether you like it or not since you’re still my responsibility. So stop being such an uptight  _ ass _ .” 

You huffed out and then flushed even harder as you realized what you had just said. Not only did you practically yell at Vader, you also insulted him and called him an ass. Your eyes grew large as you realized that now would be a turning point for Vader to finally snap and kill you. Instead he watched you in silence, the only sound between you two was the hiss of his respirator. 

“Well, that was a first,” he finally replied, confusing you even more with his uncharacteristic lack of violence. 

“What?”

“For someone to call me an ass,” he continued with that same indifference in his tone. “Although, I admit that thought had crossed many when dealing with me.”

“What,” you scoffed, “no one had big enough balls to say that to your face?”

“No,” Vader replied, practically growling, “they usually ended up dead before they could finish their thought.” 

You stared at each other for several long tense seconds, before Vader finally turned on his heels and practically marched out of the hangar with his long strides. You had to run up to keep up with him.

“Stay close to me,” Vader said, as you both rounded up the corner and started heading towards the grand stairs of the fortress. 

You were about to respond that he was still using that commanding tone of his before he replied, “It is for your own good that you listen to me on this one. I built this fortress to keep my enemies out and to kill them before they’d reach me. If you don’t get killed by the many traps that I set up and by my assassin droids, then you would die from starvation and thirst by getting lost in the tunnels before you had the chance to get out.”

You listened closely to his warnings and swallowed a lump in your throat, as you tried to stick to Vader as close as possible. He was right about easily getting lost from the many turns and twists the corridors of his fortress were laid out. It didn’t help that they all looked the same, dark, gloomy and completely empty. You didn’t know how long it took you to get to the upper levels of the fortress but at some point you entered a wider corridor and at the end of it you saw a large metal door. 

Vader abruptly stopped in front of another door off to the side that you somehow missed, and you almost collided your face into his back. 

“You will stay here.” Vader announced as he opened the door to reveal what looked like a guest bedroom with just the bare necessities in it. A bed, a desk with a chair, and a door that led to the fresher. 

You turned to look at Vader, “I told you I wasn’t going to stay here by myself without knowing what you were up to. If you forgot…”

“I remember what you said,” Vader snapped, interrupting you. “I will be in my hyperbaric chamber dealing with the tracker myself.”

“Okay,” you slowly started, multiple questions running through your head. “What’s a hyperbaric chamber?”

Something unintelligible came out of Vader’s vocoder, which sounded a lot like a groan. “It is where I can take off my suit and be able to breathe unassisted.” 

You raised your eyebrow at that statement, still confused. You knew nothing of Vader and why he was in this suit in the first place. You had heard of rumors that he was gravely injured at some point, but at what extent no one knew. 

Vader could tell his answer only confused you even more, so he added, “I cannot take off my suit in a normal environment due to the damage done to my lungs a long time ago. The hyperbaric chamber has a highly oxygenated air, which allows me to breathe but would be too much to take for your lungs. You must stay here.”

You could continue arguing with him on this but his argument made sense. “What about a tracker? How are you planning on finding it and removing it?”

“I have droids with me in the chamber that assist me. They should be able to scan the computer systems and servers of my suit and find if your Rebels put anything else in me while I was unconscious.”

You furrowed your eyebrows at the statement. So he wasn’t just a prisoner then. He was an experimental tool for Tamont and his men to play with. You remembered seeing multiple medical droids and units in the cell in which Vader was held but you paid no mind to them at the time. Now it all started to make more sense. 

“Alright,” you said looking up at Vader’s mask. “How long do you think this would take?”

“It depends on what my droids find,” replied Vader. 

You nodded. “I need to make a call with the Rebel Alliance.”

“ _ No _ .” Vader’s tone was final in the way that made the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. 

“Vader,” you started, but he interrupted you once again.

“I do not want your Rebel Alliance finding out about this place if they can trace the signal back here,” Vader continued. “No one knows of this place, except the ones that were privileged enough to know, most if not all of them now lay dead.”

“What about Thrawn?” you asked, since now the man certainly knew where Vader had gone to due to the tracking device. “He would be here soon.”

“Thrawn is not stupid enough to attack my fortress,” Vader responded. “You would be surprised to find it almost impenetrable and highly fortified with many weapon systems. I can take down the Star Destroyer if I need to.”

You were still not convinced but by this point Vader hardly cared as he pushed you inside the bedroom. 

“Stay here,” he warned. “And don’t try to do anything reckless. Or stupid. I have my cameras everywhere, I will know if you try anything.”

The door was shut in your face and you were left alone in the dark of a cold room. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ayee, our girl is getting a little ballsy here with Vader ;)  
> Anyways, the next few chapters are packed with action. Enjoy!


	7. The intruder.

It didn’t take long for you to explore all the nooks and crannies of the small room, look through the empty drawers of the table, feel around with your fingers for any listening devices and check the mattress for any hidden weapons. You came up with nothing. 

Next, you headed towards the fresher and did your thorough inspection again. Satisfied that there was no chance Vader could watch you through the cameras that he mentioned to you earlier, since you found none here or in the room, you closed the door to the fresher and started undressing. There was no way in hell you were going to pass up the opportunity to wash away all the sweat, sand, and grime from your body. You knew you looked like hell, even though there were no mirrors anywhere in your vicinity. You took off your boots last and almost grimaced when a whole bunch of sand piled on the floor next to your feet. Your hair was trickier, as your waves were all tangled up from sweat and sand, and it felt coarse to your fingers as you worked through trying to untangle the knots. 

You stepped into the shower, pleasantly surprised that it had an option for a regular shower versus a sonic one. You preferred a shower with hot water and stood still under the cascading waterfall of it for a few minutes, relishing its warmth on your cold body. You spent another few minutes washing away the dirt from your hair and body, having to scrub everything with your nails as there were no bath items or soaps present. You didn’t mind. 

And as such, there were no towels present as well once you were done showering. You wrinkled your nose at the prospect of having to put your dirty and sweaty clothes back on. You decided to at least put your undergarments back on and wash your top in the sink while waiting on Vader. You cleaned out your boots and pants from sand as much as you could and hung the rest of your clothing on the foot of the bed. 

You stood still in the middle of the small room, contemplating on what to do next. You knew it’s only been less than an hour since Vader left you here and it would most likely be another few hours or so before Vader was finished with whatever he was doing. You glanced back at the bed, and as uncomfortable as it looked, you were tired and lack of sleep was finally catching up to you. You figured it wouldn’t hurt to close your eyes for a minute and relax. You didn’t realize how tired you actually were until you laid down and was knocked into the black abyss of sleep within minutes. 

You knew you were having a nightmare when your body locked up in paralyze and you were unable to move. Snippets of your past life flashed under your closed eyelids. You tensed up, afraid what your memory would conjure this time. It was almost always the same, memories and ghosts of your past life dancing around you, mocking you. 

_ This time you were on an Imperial cruiser, dressed in black outfit that hid your body and face from the eyes of the people around you. You were looking through the red tint of the mask you always wore that hid your face, not out of necessity but to instill fear in those that you were sent to hunt down.  _

_ Another being was next to you, not quite a beast but not a human either, his yellow eyes rimmed with red circles, staring at you. He spoke to you, giving you a command.  _

_ “Leave no survivors. Kill them all. Show no mercy.” _

_ You didn’t respond, you didn’t need to. You were just a tool of the Empire to do its bidding.  _

_ The scenery changed and you were standing in front of a village, consumed by flames and screams of the survivors that were still alive. You glanced around yourself to see the battalion of stormtroopers raging through the village, killing the innocents. Under your command.  _

_ You slowly walked through the chaos, ignoring the cries and pleas of women and children, as they were shot on sight. You stopped when something grabbed your boot. You looked down to see a small child, covered in grime and blood, his eyes staring at your mask, silently pleading.  _

_ “Please,” the child whimpered as he was clutching his small hand around your foot. “Ma...mama. I can’t find my mama.” _

_ You silently stared at him, with no feelings or emotions. Dead on the inside.  _

_ You raised your boot to stomp on the child’s hand, crushing it under your weight. The child screamed. You liked hearing them scream.  _

_ You raised your red blade above his head and with no hesitation brought it down in one swift movement, slicing through his flesh.  _

You awoke with a gasp, reeling at the memory long forgotten. You barely made it to the fresher before you heaved whatever was left in your stomach. You felt sick, tired, emotionally drained and scared. You didn’t realize you were crying until you felt hot droplets on your knees as you kneeled on the cold floor in front of a toilet. 

You spent many minutes afterwards trying to calm down and for your body to stop heaving and shaking from an aftershock of your nightmare. You shakely got up and rinsed your mouth with water from the sink before splashing cold water on your face. You gripped the sink with both hands looking down and counting your breaths as you slowly resumed normal control of your breathing. 

You left the fresher, getting ready to re-dress until you heard that clinking again. The one you heard in the docking bay. This one sounded like it was right outside your door. You tensed up, completely forgetting about your lack of clothing as you silently grabbed your blaster from the bed and pressed your body against the wall right next to the door. You held your breath and listened. 

It was quiet for a few minutes, the only sound was the steady beating of your heart. You started to relax until you heard it again. A shuffling of steps outside the door and a low growling. Someone or something was in the fortress here with you. Vader’s earlier words came to your mind about his fortified weaponry and machinery that should be able to detect intruders, as well as his traps and assassin droids. Whatever was behind that door was able to bypass all of that and make it out alive. 

You weren’t sure if Vader was aware of the intruder or not, but weren’t going to risk finding out if it was the latter. You weren’t even sure if Vader was capable of monitoring what was going on in the castle if he was out of his suit. Your mission was still to protect Vader and deliver him alive to the Rebel Alliance in one piece. 

You waited another moment, readying yourself and shifting your blaster from stun to kill mode. Then with quick speed and reflexes you slammed the door open and ran out of the room, pointing the blaster in the direction of the noise. 

You were hit with a decaying smell that almost knocked you off your feet, but came to your senses on time as a creature sprang from the darkness and lunged at you. You rolled away just in time as the beast growled and then bared its yellow decaying teeth at you, with glowing red eyes and a melted flesh that you could barely make out in the dark. You almost screamed at the disgusting sight before the creature lunged again. You did not hesitate as you shot your blaster bolts right at the center of the creature’s head. It collapsed in front of your feet and before you could react another one lunged behind your back and toppled on top of you. 

You lost a hold of your blaster upon impact with the cold ground, and you barely managed to roll away before the creature's teeth lunged at the floor where your neck was mere seconds ago. You hastily scrambled to your feet, looking for your dropped blaster, as the creature swept its claws in your directions, managing to nick you in the exposed side of your stomach. You cried out in pain and then took off down the hallway, away from Vader’s quarters. 

You weren’t even sure where you were running off to, each corridor and hallway looking exactly the same as the last ones you ran through. The creature was right behind you, its ragged breath and stench following you and gaining speed. You had to find a wider opening which you could use to your advantage in fighting that thing. Your wish soon came true, when you ran into what looked like an office area, with a spacious room containing a long table with many chairs and a large holo screen off to the side. 

_ This must be where Vader used to conduct his meetings _ , you fleetingly thought and then jumped across the table to create a space between you and the creature. 

The creature growled, its spit foaming around the opening of his decayed mouth. It’s teeth were glistening in the darkness of the room. This beast was much larger than the one you just killed, its claws longer and sharper. You could taste the metallic smell of blood on its claws. Your blood. 

The creature lunged again, sliding across the smooth surface of the table as you jumped up high and then kicked the thing in the stomach. The beast howled in pain but didn’t stop in its advances. If anything, you seemed to aggravate it even more. You kept jumping around the table, avoiding its deadly claws and teeth while hitting the creature in its ribs and even landed a few shots on its head. You knew you couldn’t let the fight drag out for much longer, as your movements started to slow down. You miscalculated your next movement and the pain erupted from your left shoulder as the creature finally plunged its claws in your flesh. You let out a painful scream and without realizing what you were doing you stopped the creature with the Force. 

It thrashed in your hold, mere inches from your face as you gritted your teeth, concentrating on your task. You extended your right hand, still holding the creature in your Force hold, as you slowly started to curl your fingers in the first. The creature started wailing and thrashing even harder from the lack of air and then right before it drew its last breath you lifted your hand and slammed down the beast on the ground, forever silencing it with its death.

You collapsed on the floor from exhaustion and shock at what you’ve just done. You sat in silence for a moment, looking at the disfigured face of the creature and then at your right hand. The one you used to choke the beast. You would have started crying at the situation if it wasn’t for the fact that your body hurt, your left shoulder was throbbing in pain, and any movement, slight as it can be like crying, was going to make it feel even worse. 

“Well, well,  _ well _ . What do we have here?”

You froze in your spot, your mind going blank.  _ That voice. No, it can’t be.  _

“I see my teachings have completely gone over your head,” the voice continued, as someone stepped out from the shadows of the room. “It is a pity. You were one of the best.”

You slowly turned around to meet the gaze of the man that tormented you in your nightmares. His yellow eyes with red rims boring into yours as his pale face was scrunched in grimace as he regarded you. 

“You are dead,” you hoarsely whispered, not believing your eyes. “I watched you die.”

“Did you now?” he replied, his voice filled with malice. “Was it before or after you betrayed your brothers and sisters and left us to die?”

You shook your head, shutting your eyes as tears freely started trailing down your face. This was still a nightmare, you believed.  _ He is not here, he can’t be here. This is an illusion, a lie.  _

The man laughed, a mirthless, dead laugh that made you shudder. “I know what you’re thinking. That I am simply an illusion. A lie.” He started to approach you, slowly, like a predator. “You’ve grown weak. Pathetic. Hopeless. Was it all worth it? Giving away your power to help those Rebels? Look at you now. You disgust me.”

You sharply inhaled, opening your eyes. He was still there, with you, standing a few steps away from where you were crouched on the floor. The look in his eyes scared you. He was going to kill you.

“Ah, yes,” the man continued, as his hand went to his belt to retrieve his weapon. “I was certainly not expecting to find you here, in Vader’s fortress. Perhaps it’s the Force itself that willed us to meet again.”

You watched in stupor, your body not listening to your internal screams, to move, to do something, to get away from here. You were frozen in your spot, eyes wide, as the man ignited the red blade of his lightsaber. 

“I suppose it is only right to kill you, after you killed my pets,” he continued as he raised his blade about to strike you. Like you did in your nightmare. “And once I am done with you, I will kill Vader.”

You watched in slow motion as he brought his blade down, the heat of the saber getting closer to your neck and then it was gone and the man was hurled across the room with a Force push strong enough to leave the dent in the adjacent wall. 

Mechanical breathing filled the room as Vader stepped in, fully clad in his complete armor, with the cape billowing behind him and a red lightsaber ignited by his side. 

“Grand Inquisitor,” Vader’s voice boomed across the room. “We meet again.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, here's my take on this chapter and the way our heroine handled the meeting with the Grand Inquisitor.  
> She just woke up from a nightmare that used to plague her almost every night, fought off two beasts, got injured, used the Force choke (inadvertently), and then met someone whom she thought was dead. If I was in her situation I would also freeze in shock and won't be able to move. 
> 
> Second, I thought it would be pretty badass to have her fight in mere underwear, cause why not :P  
> And there will be plenty of explanation down the road as to how the intruders got in.  
> I hope you enjoyed it!


	8. Revelations.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guess I should mention there would be some gore in this chapter but nothing too graphic. Enjoy!

You were unable to move, watching with stilled breath as Vader purposely walked into the room, sparing you a small glance before his focus was entirely on the Grand Inquisitor. 

The said man finally peeled himself off the wall, scowling his pale face and gritting his teeth as his lightsaber was flown back into his hand. The Inquisitor was smart enough not to engage Vader in direct attack as he slowly circled around Vader, keeping safe distance from him. 

“Darth Vader,” the man hissed, his eyes blazing with fire and hate. “And I was truly hoping the rumors about your survival were false.”

Vader shifted his stance as he kept his gaze on the other man, “And I was hoping to never see your face again. Yet, here we are.”

Vader was taunting the Inquisitor to attack first. This taunt would work on anyone else if someone didn’t know how Vader fought. But the Inquisitor knew. At some point in his servitude to the Empire, he was taught by Vader himself and worked with him on many occasions hunting down the Jedi. 

“My powers have grown since we last met,  _ Lord _ Vader.” The man said, as he twirled his lightsaber in front of him. 

“I will be the judge of that,” replied Vader and without warning lunged at the Inquisitor with the full force, bringing his saber down in the full ark in front of the man, only to be parried by the Inquisitor’s lightsaber. 

Both men continued the dance of pairing, lunging, docking and slashing at each other, neither of them gaining or losing advantage in the battle. You watched in haze as Vader moved flowlessy around the room, his movements graceful and precise, his swings deadly. The Inquisitor was faster and more acrobatic, as there was nothing restraining his movements, not like the bulky and heavy suit of Darth Vader. Yet the fight was evenly matched, Vader using his incredible strength and power to try and overpower his opponent.

Vader continued his assault, and soon the Inquisitor faltered just enough for Vader to use the Force to throw him against the wall and pin him there with his hold. 

“How were you able to get in?” Vader asked as he slowly approached the other man. 

The Inquisitor hissed, trying and failing to get out of the Force hold. His head was further slammed into the wall when he failed to reply to Vader.

“Did Thrawn send you here?” Vader asked, as he was now standing mere inches from the Inquisitor. “You  _ will _ answer me, or I will show no mercy.”

The Inquisitor laughed, “You will show me no mercy regardless.”

“Indeed,” replied Vader as he plunged his lightsaber into the right thigh of the Inquisitor, drawing an animalistic scream from the man. “Who sent you?”

The Inquisitor’s harsh breaths filled the quiet room, as he glared at Vader. “I will tell you nothing.”

“Poor choice of words,” replied Vader as he withdrew his saber and plunged it into the other man's thigh, and then with a flick of his wrist cut off the man’s leg. 

You flinched at the screams that erupted from the Inquisitor, your eyes unable to look away from the gruesome scene. This was the Darth Vader you had heard about. This was the monster. You felt lightheaded and cold, just now realizing that you were almost naked with blood trailing down your body from your wounds. You held back a sob, willing yourself to just faint. Or do anything to stop hearing the bloody screams. 

Vader dropped the Inquisitor on the floor in the heaping mess, shutting down his lightsaber. “You are still useful to me alive,” Vader said and then used the Force to make the man lose his consciousness. 

You were starting to shake, and in the back of your mind you knew this was a side effect of going into shock. Or perhaps you were already experiencing one and just now realized that you were shaking. You were numb and cold and you were scared. Scared of the man that was now approaching you. Someone was talking but the sound was muted and you didn’t register it until Vader was kneeling in front of you. 

“Can you walk?” he asked, watching you. 

You started to feel self-conscious in your underwear through your shock, and you didn’t register what he asked. You numbly stared at the floor in front of you, looking at his black boots. Then he was gone from your vision and something was wrapped around your shoulders. You felt gloved hands under your arms, careful not to touch your wounds, as he helped you stand on your feet. The room spinned in your vision and you would have collapsed if it wasn’t for Vader holding you. 

“I am going to pick you up,” he informed, supporting your body from behind. 

You didn’t say anything as he picked you up in his arms, careful in his movements, as he headed out of the room and back towards his living quarters. You were still quiet, lost in your thoughts, listening to the hum of Vader’s respirator so close to you. You didn’t even realize that he brought you to a different room until you felt a cold surface under your body as he laid you down. 

You looked around to see it was a medical bay and that Vader laid you down on a metal gurney. You shivered in the cold, until he covered you with his cape that he took off his shoulders back at the office.  _ So that’s what it was _ , you thought. Your musings were interrupted by his voice.

“I will have one of my droids look at your wounds. I suspect there might have been poison on the claws of those...things.”

You didn’t respond and watched Vader in silence as he turned on one of the medical droids and instructed him on what to do. 

“I will be back shortly,” Vader said as he looked at you and without another word, left the room. 

You weren’t sure when or how you finally lost consciousness, but it was long before the droid was finished with treating your wounds. So when you woke up again sometime later, you were greeted with the sight of Vader standing over you, watching you. 

The memories of what happened that put you in this current position flushed through your mind and you quietly gasped, feeling foolish and embarrassed. You looked down to find that his cape was still covering your half-naked body and you flushed with embarrassment of being seen in mere underwear by Darth Vader himself. Although he probably cared less about any of that by what you could tell was rolling off Vader in waves through the Force.

“I told you to stay in your room,” Vader snapped when your eyes met his mask. “Why don’t you ever listen to anything I say?”

If you had the strength, you would have rolled your eyes at that. Instead you quietly replied, “If I would have stayed in that room, those things would have tore through you.”

“Those things would have been dead before they reached me,” Vader replied, crossing his arms across his chest. “I felt their presence long before they made their way up to my quarters.”

You huffed in annoyance, as you tried to sit up. The wound on your hurt shoulder made you wince and you noticed Vader was reaching for you to push you back down. 

“I am  _ fine _ ,” you growled and Vader stopped his advances. 

You finally were able to sit up on the gurney, in the process inadvertently dropping Vader’s cape on the floor.  _ Oh great _ , you thought, as your cheeks heated up from the embarrassment. 

Vader used the Force to pick it up and threw it your way, and you hastily wrapped it around yourself. 

“What happened to your clothes?”

Why did he have to be so blunt about everything? You bit your lower lip and looked away.

“I, um, took a shower and didn’t have the chance to put them back on when I heard those things outside my door.”

“If you had  _ proper _ clothes, you wouldn’t have ended up in this situation in the first place,” cut Vader harshly, with his gloved finger pointing at you.

“Well, if I wasted any more time putting on damn clothes,” you yelled, jumping to your feet as you flicked his finger out of your face with the back of your hand. “Those things would have attacked you. I saved your life, you ungrateful bastard.”

This was the second time today that you insulted Vader by calling him names. At this point you hardly cared as you glared at him.

“I can take care of myself,” Vader replied tersely as he continued glaring at you. “I certainly do not need the help of an ex-Inquisitor to save me.”

You faltered at his words, your eyes going wide as you stepped away from him. How did he know? Did he recognize you? You’ve never met him during your servitude to the Empire. Then you remembered the Grand Inquisitor and almost groaned out loud.

“I take it you didn’t kill the Grand Inquisitor?” you asked, already knowing his answer. 

“No,” confirmed Vader, as he watched you, “Him and I had… a productive discussion.”

“What else did he tell you?” you asked, your voice thick with tension.

“Many things,” he continued. “Mostly about you and less about Thrawn.”

You closed your eyes, deeply inhaling, and counted to ten before you opened them back up to look at Vader. 

“Then you know why I had to leave the Empire behind,” you bitterly said.

Vader nodded, perhaps recalling the same memory that changed the course of your life, and perhaps even saved you in the process. The order given by Emperor Palpatine to eliminate most of the Inquisitors after they served up their purpose in getting rid of the Jedi. The order you received, along with a few others, to kill your own brothers and sisters in hopes to gain favor with the Emperor and stay by his side. Eliminate the weakest, show no mercy, and rise to be the Emperor’s next apprentice if Vader failed. 

And inadvertently, it was Vader’s own insecurities that led to the downfall of most of the Inquisitors. Vader felt threatened by the growing presence of the Inquisitors and the Emperor’s obvious lack of concern in the matter. And when Vader felt that his position was threatened, he lashed out. Not seeing any more purpose of keeping most Inquisitors alive, especially after killing Obi-Wan Kenobi himself, the last Jedi believed to be alive at the time, Vader decided to take matters into his own hands. 

You weren’t sure how Vader succeeded in convincing Palpatine to dispel the organization that the Emperor created himself, but you suspected it was Vader’s reasoning that the Inquisitor’s growing numbers and strengths could potentially disrupt Palpatine’s control of his Empire. And if you remembered anything about the Emperor, it was that Palpatine was a very paranoid man. 

In your early years serving the Empire, you were eager to please your Master as you completed your missions, refusing to acknowledge the consequences of your actions. The more you fought, the more you killed, the more you became a distant memory of what you used to be before joining the Imperial Academy and then later the Inquisitor’s force. The part of you that was still human was buried deep under the cold pretense of a monster. You became a killing machine, a tool for the Empire to use. And as you grew older and witnessed more violence than peace, more deaths than lives, you started to falter. The psychological trauma of your young years serving as the Inquisitor was starting to catch up. And perhaps the final breaking point was the order you received from the Emperor himself. To kill the only “family” you had left in this wretched world. 

So you did what any other sane person would have done in this situation. You fled during the chaos and deaths of your brothers and sisters, refusing to raise your blade against them. You were fed up with the atrocities committed in the name of the Empire to the people it was designed to protect. And in the process, it seems, you also failed to protect your “family”, who now considered you a traitor for leaving them to their deaths. The Grand Inquisitor thought so, and hated you for it. Perhaps you deserved to die afterwards. 

You were lost in your own thoughts, recalling the memories of the day you tried so hard to forget, not paying mind to Vader until he was right in front of you again. 

“I will take you to your room,” said Vader, as he walked past you and towards the exit of the medical bay. “Change into your clothes and then we have some things to discuss about Thrawn and his plans.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep, so now we know the heroine was once an Inquisitor if that wasn't clear in the last chapter.   
> Also, I did rewrite the last part several times, changing the dialog between her and Vader until I was satisfied with what it is now.   
> My take on her back story is that she finally saw the truth for what the Empire stood for. I've read some fanfictions where the Inquisitors did turn back from the dark side. She was practically a child when she became one. So yeah she has major PTSD from all this.


	9. Proposition.

You supposed you had worse days than having to spend it in the company of Darth Vader inside his fortress, on the uninhabitable planet such as Mustafar. Oh, and having to watch the interrogation of the Grand Inquisitor on the screen you were currently replaying, while Vader was standing off to the side with his hands clasped behind his back, looking out into the viewport of the room you were sitting in. 

You cringed at Vader’s methods of interrogation with no assistance from the droids, and were silently wishing to never have to experience that yourself. Note to self: don’t get on the bad side of Darth Vader. 

So far, from the information Vader relayed to you and from the bits and pieces he was able to extract from the Grand Inquisitor, you learned that Thrawn restored the Inquisitor’s force in the last three years of his scheming in the unknown regions of the galaxy. He was using them as his personal bodyguards and spies in the networks of his New Empire. You suspected that was one of the reasons how he was able to take over the reigns of the crumbling Empire and restore its power to its glory as during Palpatine’s reign. 

You hardly knew anything about the man, only hearing bits and pieces from the time you served in the Empire and knew that Thrawn was promoted to the Grand Admiral at some point during that time. You had also heard about Thrawn’s cunning and ruthless ways of accomplishing his goals. The man certainly was different from Palpatine and his ways of ruling the Empire. Thrawn was a man of action, much like Vader, and did not fear to get his hands dirty by doing things himself without having to rely on others to do his dirty job. 

And from what the Grand Inquisitor told Vader, Thrawn was aware of Vader’s survival for at least a few months before you were sent on the mission to retrieve him. It seemed he was using the time to gather the intel on Vader and the detention center on Tritus. It was no coincidence that he announced himself a new ruler of the galaxy weeks before Vader was scheduled for transfer. It only confirmed that he had spies within the Rebellion, using them to watch and gather an intel on the High Command. 

Whatever tactic he was using to gather more supporters for his New Empire was working, if he was able to buy loyalty of Tamont and his men back on Tritus in time to implant a tracker in Vader’s suit. Thrawn was a clever man, and he knew the only thing that could stop him and crush his plans in gaining control of the rest of the galaxy would be Vader, the rightful heir to the Imperial throne. If people learned of his survival, it would cause an uproar in the galaxy. Thrawn was not going to stop until he killed Vader, whichever way necessary. 

“Did he mention to you how he got inside your _heavily fortified_ fortress?” you snidely asked, pointing at the screen showing the Grand Inquisitor strapped to a torturing device, as you remembered your conversation not long ago with Vader about his security systems.

Vader turned around from the viewport and made his way towards the table where you were currently sitting in. “I admit I was wrong in my assumptions.”

You raised your eyebrow at that. Vader admitted he was wrong? _That_ was a first. 

“I did not have a chance to scan all of my security parameters when we first arrived.” Vader hesitated for a moment. “It appears the enemy timed their entry with me disengaging the initial security system upon our arrival.” 

You sighed, not quite understanding how that was possible, and how Vader did not sense their presence. “This place is now compromised, isn’t it? It is no longer safe as you thought it would be.”

Vader nodded, before continuing, “I found this on the Grand Inquisitor.” He put a small device on the table in front of you, that looked like a small ring with some markings and small buttons on the side that were rapidly blinking.

“Some sort of tracker?” you asked, as you inspected the device.

“I thought so too,” Vader replied. “But it is not. Put it on.”

You gave Vader a look before shrugging and reached toward the device. As soon as your fingers wrapped around it you gasped. You felt a cloaking sensation emitting from the device as it was trying to connect with your Force signature from within. 

“What the hell?” you exclaimed, never having to experience such a sensation before. “What is this thing?”

“A cloaking mechanism,” Vader explained. “I was aware that such engineering was being conducted a few years back but at the time it was far from being fully finished.”

When you blankly stared at Vader, he continued, “Imagine it as a cloaking device for a ship that allows you to slip through the enemy ships without being noticed. A smaller form like that was being developed for the Force-sensitives to completely remove their Force signatures without being detected. It was primarily designed to be used by the Inquisitors.”

Your eyes widened at that statement. “That’s how the Grand Inquisitor was able to get in unnoticed?”

Vader nodded. You just now realized the situation you were in got a whole lot more complicated. 

“If that’s the case then there might be more of them hiding here?” you asked but Vader shook his head.

“I made sure _this_ time to thoroughly run through my security systems several times. I activated more security droids and did a thorough sweep of potential points of entry to this place. I believe we are safe, for now.”

_For now._ You didn’t like that phrase. Especially now, knowing that Thrawn and his Inquisitors had an advantage to take you by surprise if even Vader couldn’t sense the danger. You had to get off this planet. 

“I assume your droids found the tracker and disabled it?”

“Yes,” Vader replied, but something in the way he slightly hesitated, even though barely noticeable, caught your attention and you frowned. 

“Vader, what is it?”

He ignored your question as he signaled for your droid to roll into the conference room. T-2 was carrying your datapad that you left in the starfighter, almost completely forgetting about it. 

“I suppose now is the good time for you to contact your Rebel Alliance,” announced Vader, as he folded his hands across his chest. 

You once again frowned at Vader, the swift shifts in his moods and decisions completely stumping you. First he tells you not to contact them and now he does. 

You sighed as you gave your instructions to the astromech droid to get in touch with the General. T-2 chirped in affirmative and then connected to the hub in the center of the room. Seconds later the face of Leia Organa appeared on the holo projector. 

“Thank the Force,” she exclaimed, the worry in her face etched by the deep circles under her eyes. “Where are you? Your team contacted me hours ago, informing of the attack on your ship.”

“I am…” you hesitated and looked off to the side at Vader standing still and watching the General. 

Vader jerked his body and came into view of the holo projector. “Your highness,” Vader calmly greeted the General.

You watched the shocked expression formed on the General’s face and just as quickly replaced with a hardened gaze. “Lord Vader.”

You watched the two in complete silence, neither of them saying anything for several minutes. This was getting awkward. Vader was the first one to break the uncomfortable silence. 

“To what do I owe the pleasure of being in the servitude of your Rebel Alliance?” Vader did not beat around the bush and got right to business. 

“I was hoping we could come up with an agreement that would suit both of our needs,” replied Leia.

“And that is?”

“Your help in eliminating Thrawn in exchange for pardoning your atrocities committed against people of the galaxy and the Rebellion.”

It was once again quiet for a long moment, the atmosphere filled with tension rolling off Vader.

“I am surprised to hear that the Generals and the Chancellor of your Rebellion agreed to give me a full pardon, considering how our last meeting went three years ago.”

Leia Organa's hardened face faltered and she quickly looked away, trying and failing to hide the guilt in her eyes. 

“The decision was entirely mine,” announced Leia as she returned her gaze back to Vader’s mask. “The High Command is not yet aware of your release from the imprisonment.”

The General’s admission confirmed your earlier suspicions. You looked at Vader to see him standing still, regarding the General closely. 

“You would risk your position to do that?” he finally asked, after a few hisses of his respirator. 

“I had no choice,” admitted Leia as her expression resembled close to annoyance. “This war has gone for far too long. We are all tired of fighting.”

She hesitated before continuing, “Luke believed there was still good in you before he died. I am giving you a chance to prove yourself, to prove to Luke that he was right.”

You shifted in your stance, growing very uncomfortable. This sounded like a very personal conversation, and you were unsure if you should be privy of it. Neither of them noticed your discomfort, as they continued watching each other. 

“I doubt your Rebellion will allow me to walk around freely looking like this,” Vader argued. “Not to mention Thrawn and his Inquisitors have spies within your Rebellion, ready to kill me the first chance they get.”

The General furrowed her eyebrows. “I suspected we had spies, but I wasn’t sure to what extent. It goes all the way to the top, doesn’t it?”

“That is my belief,” confirmed Vader. 

The General chewed on her lower lip, a habit you noticed she did often when she was nervous.

“I have a suggestion to get you inside the Rebellion unnoticed,” she slowly started, watching Vader with apprehension in her eyes. 

Vader inclined his head, curious as to what the General had in mind.

“We need to get you out of that suit.”

Another few controlled breaths of Vader’s respirator before he replied, “That is not possible.”

“And you know this _how_?” snapped Leia, folding her hands across her chest. 

“The Emperor told me…” he started and was interrupted by the impatient voice of the General.

“The Emperor told you a lot of things, most of which were probably lies. Including the fact about Luke and I.” She sighed before continuing, “Vader, try to meet me in the middle here. I am offering you a solution to the most obvious problem.”

She glared at Vader though the holo transmission with a challenging look in her eyes. 

“That would require months of planning, if not more, with expensive resources,” Vader started, listing all the obstacles to Organa’s plan. 

“It’s already done,” Leia announced, shocking even you. “I have been doing my research for months now. I was able to acquire your medical files from the detention center on Tritus.”

Something unintelligible came out of Vader’s vocoder that sounded suspiciously like a growl. This information did not please Vader. 

“I understand that you are angry,” continued Leia, trying to sound like the General that she was. “But this was my only option at the time. Even you must understand the predicament you are in. You cannot be seen in this suit by the general public eye.” 

Leia sighed once again when Vader said nothing. “Think of it this way. You will be _my_ incognito spy for the Rebellion. No one will be able to recognize you. After all this is done and we defeat Thrawn and overthrow the Empire, you can leave. Disappear where no one will find you.”

Vader was silent, considering the General’s request. “And if I refuse?”

“When you surrendered yourself to us on Endor, you told me you were willing to help. Did you finally change your mind?” Leia snapped, anger permeating her features once again. “Did Luke’s sacrifice mean nothing to you?!”

Vader recoiled from the angry outburst thrown his way, and he looked away, his stance relaxing and his shoulders dropping in the evident display that he was greatly affected by Leia’s comment. 

“I…” he started, his vocoder failing to hide the inflection of pain in his voice. “I haven’t forgotten.”

Another long silence stretched between the two of them and now it was Leia who broke the silence first. 

“I am sending the coordinates to the location of the facility that would perform your surgery,” she started and then turned your way. “You should receive them shortly.”

You nodded at the General, still watching Vader from the corner of your eye. You were concerned about what you were feeling rolling off of him in waves. When before all you felt was a feign calmness and detachment, now his emotions were all over the place, hitting you like a brick wall and almost drowning you. He felt _hurt_. 

The transmission ended and you were left in silence with a very unstable Sith Lord in your presence. Unsure of what else to do you slowly started to approach him, careful to stay within his sight. Before you had the chance to raise your arm, he stopped you with the Force.

“Don’t,” he warned and then stormed out of the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Our Vader is hurting :/  
> Leia surely inherited a sharp tongue from her father.


	10. The escape.

You were back in the hangar when you heard it. The unmistakable sound of something large exiting out of a hyperspace. You barely had time to get up from your sitting position next to Vader’s custom tie fighter when the sirens blazed across the hangar bay, almost deafening you with their volume. 

The voice of the security droid came on the speaker, clearly repeating over and over, “Intruder in Sector 8. Confirming approach of a Star Destroyer. I repeat…”

You hastily ran to the edge of the landing platform that overlooked the vast view of the volcanic planet below you. And up above you saw a Star Destroyer slowly descending into the orbit of the planet. So Thrawn finally made his move. Before your eyes two more Star Destroyers came out of hyperspace and your breath hitched in your throat. 

Thrawn was not playing. He certainly brought a back up with him this time. He was not going to let Vader get out of this mess alive. 

You silently cursed and ran back inside the fortress, up to the top of it where you knew Vader would be, preparing for his counter attack. 

You ran in the weapon’s control room Vader showed you earlier just in time to see several screens lit up showing hundreds of TIE fighters approaching the surface of the planet and nearing the fortress. 

Vader stood in the middle of the room, calmly observing the situation. 

“There are  _ three _ of them,” you hissed, coming up to him. “You said there would only be  _ one _ .”

Vader turned to look at you, “I never said that. I said that Thrawn was not stupid enough to attack me with only one of his ships.”

You rolled your eyes at that, anxiety creeping up at you as you watched more fighters approaching. Why was Vader so calm about this situation?

“Watch,” was all he said, turning his attention back to the screens. 

And right before your eyes several dozen TIE fighters exploded, as though they hit something invisible. The rest of the fighters swiftly turned back to avoid hitting the invisible obstacle. No, not an obstacle, you realized, a Force shield. 

“Okay, that’s impressive,” you said in amazement. Maybe you had a shot at this after all. 

You felt slight amusement rolling off Vader, as you continued watching the attack unfold in front of your eyes. What you didn’t expect was for Star Destroyers to start shooting turbolasers at the planet’s surface, rocking the ground below your feet. You yelped when one such shot hit too close to the fortress, shaking the structure and almost knocking you off your feet. 

You looked at Vader, “Do you have a plan against  _ those _ ?”

“The Force shield should be able to withstand their blasts,” Vader said. 

You saw another Star Destroyer exiting the hyperspace, this one much bigger in size than its counterparts. You furrowed your eyebrows. You’ve never seen such a model before. It resembled the design of the Imperial I-class Star Destroyers, but the key differences were red accents along the hull of the vessel and a large axial superlaser. 

You watched in slow motion as the laser started to light up, signaling it was about to release its firing power on the planet below. 

“Vader, what the hell is  _ that _ ?” you asked with panic in your voice. This did not look good. 

“Get in the hangar bay and into one of the shuttles, and wait for my order to leave,” Vader responded instead, ignoring your question. “Take this.”

He handed you the cloaking device he showed you earlier that he confiscated from the Grand Inquisitor. You stared at his hand and then back at his mask.

“What about you? Where are  _ you _ going to be?”

You hated the sound of your voice sounding so pathetic.

“I will be right behind,” he replied, shoving the device into your hand. “I must deal with the TIE fighters first before we are able to leave the fortress.”

_ If _ you are able, you thought. There was no way Vader thought he could escape four Star Destroyers at once. 

You didn’t get the chance to say anything else when suddenly the blast of the laser hit the planet’s surface, obliterating the spot. And you watched in horror as the laser continued to fire in sustained bursts, non-stop. The fortress shook violently, and the lights flickered as the dust and debri from the ceiling started to settle around you. 

“Go,” Vader commanded and you didn’t need to be told twice as the gravity of the situation hit you head on and you took off. 

The walls of the fortress were shaking as the lasers kept blasting the surface of the planet and you succeeded in falling several times from the uncontrollable shakes under your feet. You managed to make your way back to the hangar bay where T-2 was whistling in impatient tones at you to hurry up. 

You glanced around, trying to figure out which shuttle to take before the ceiling split in half and you barely managed to dodge the large rocks as they fell down on the floor of the hangar. You coughed up the debri and took your surroundings. Most of the shuttles and TIE fighters were now crushed under all the rubble, including the starfighter you arrived in. You spotted an untouched  _ Lambda _ -class T-4a shuttle in the far corner of the hanger bay, some distance away from you. You had to get through all the rubble first to get to it. 

You wasted no time trying to get across as you heard TIE fighters approaching the area you were in. If they were that close to the fortress that meant the Force shield was down. Another blast from the superlaser hit the spot next to the opening of the hangar bay, barely managing to avoid the structure, and the shockwave from the hit threw you across the room. You unconsciously used the Force to soften your landing, as you hit the side of one of the damaged shuttles, in the process breaking a rib or two. You groaned in pain. 

T-2 snapped you out of your reverie, and you scrambled to your feet, ignoring the stabbing pain in your chest. If you got out of this alive, you were going to give Vader hell about getting hurt not once, but twice in the last twenty four hours in the fortress that was supposed to be invincible to the attacks. You finally reached the shuttle and lowered the ramp.

“T-2, I want you to prepare the shuttle for take off,” you instructed as you stayed at the bottom of the ramp and waited for Vader. 

The droid disappeared inside the shuttle as you continued to watch the battle raging outside of the open hanger. Vader was still shooting down the TIE fighters from the control room as they continued exploding in the air. 

“What the hell are you doing, Vader?” you quietly hissed in the air as more shaking and rumbling warned you that the fortress wouldn’t be able to take much more of the assault from the superlaser. You had to get out of here now. 

T-2 thought the same as he chirped at you that he was preparing for take off. 

“Wait,” you screamed at the little droid. “We must wait for Vader.”

The little droid whistled negative responses and continued the process of lifting the shuttle off the ground and you had to catch yourself from falling off the ramp at the unexpected movement.

You ran back inside the shuttle, trying to take over the controls from the droid. 

“Damn it,” you screamed, as you maneuvered the shuttle around the debri and more falling rocks that could crush you at any moment. You saw no sign of Vader and then the lights flickered once more and everything went dark. 

The shuttle was equipped with the navigational lights but doing so would only alert the enemy that you were trying to escape. Plus, the blasts from the turbolasers and TIE fighters gave you enough light to maneuver the shuttle to the exit of the bay. You held your breath, your muscles tight with tension, as you were gripping the controls of the shuttle, waiting for something to happen. 

You wouldn’t believe this was the end. You couldn’t. You couldn’t just die on this wretched planet with none other than Darth Vader. You closed your eyes, deeply inhaling and exhaling, releasing your frustration and anxiety into the Force. You reached out to Vader, looking for him and gasped in excitement and relief when Vader reached back across your mental bond with him. He was close. 

You opened your eyes just in time when you felt the shuttle slightly shake as someone jumped inside of it. You didn’t have to turn around to know it was Vader. 

“T-2, close down the ramp,” you instructed and then you flew the shuttle out into the smoke from the blasts, mixed with volcanic ashes. 

“That was too close,” you told Vader, as he took the co-pilot seat and strapped himself in. 

“We are not out of this just yet,” replied Vader as he took controls of the shuttle and navigated it away from the fortress and the blasts from the Star Destroyer’s lasers. 

You had to keep an eye for the superlaser. One hit from it near your shuttle and you would perish from the shockwave of the blast. Vader thought the same, as he started to gain distance away from the fortress. It only made sense that since the Force shields were down, the next target of the superlaser would be to obliterate Vader’s fortress. 

You saw the cannon charging up again, preparing to strike. 

“Vader,” you warned, tightly clutching the controls of the shuttle. 

Vader maneuvered the shuttle up into the sky, gaining more distance from the area of the imminent attack as the cannon finally released its charge, hitting its target with multiple bursts of laser energy. The fortress was obliterated in seconds and now the planet itself started to collapse, as though the force from the attacks opened up a vortex within the planet’s core. 

You gasped, watching in horror at the scene below you. 

“This looks like a mini-version attack of the Death Star,” you whispered.

The shockwave of the blast was spreading around the radius of the attack faster than Vader was able to fly the shuttle out of it. It was gaining speed and distance, and if it hit the shuttle it would be over for you two. 

“Plug in the coordinates to our hyperspace jump,” Vader instructed and you did as you were told, putting in the coordinates that the General sent you. 

You briefly wondered why it mattered as you obviously were  _ not _ going to make it out of the planet’s orbit in time to jump into hyperspace as the shockwave continued to catch up to you. 

You were now nearing Star Destroyers and you held your breath, wondering what Vader had planned. 

“When I tell you to, hit the course for hyperspace,” Vader continued, and you turned to stare at him, wondering if he had lost his mind.

The shockwave was almost upon you and now the Star Destroyers started to fire at your vessel, but Vader continued to fly forward, avoiding all the hits.

All of the sudden, Vader made a sound that was unlike anything you’ve ever heard and you turned to look at him again. He looked alright at first but then you noticed his body starting to slump forward. Something else caught your attention, the lack of the hiss of his respirator. You were about to ask Vader if he was alright when his voice shot through your head.

_ Hit it. _

You didn’t hesitate as you pressed the controls for hyperspace, halfway uncertain they would even work as you were still within the planet’s orbit. Seconds later you breathed sigh of relief as your shuttle entered the familiar scenery of the hyperspace jump, narrowly avoiding the shockwave behind you and the Star Destroyers in front of you as the shuttle lurched between them into the hyperspace. You were pretty sure the jump fried at least some wiring on the shuttle from the unsafe jump you just made. But that thought could wait as you focused on Vader’s slumped body in the chair, not moving. 

_ Not breathing.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaannndddd they escaped again...barely.   
> I took the idea for a new Star Destroyer from the movie Rise of Skywalker, cause why not? This is an alternate universe and I thought it would be pretty cool for Thrawn to have something like that in his fleet since there are no more Death Stars.  
> You'll find out what happened to Vader in the next chapter. Kudos <3


	11. Crisis averted?

You tentatively got up from the chair and advanced toward Vader’s still figure, not understanding what happened.

“Vader?” you asked as you touched his shoulder and tried to shake him. 

There was no response.

“Vader, what’s wrong?” you tried again as you shook him more forcefully this time. 

Fear gripped you as you pushed Vader back into the chair and lifted his head under the chin to look into the black void of his mask where his eyes were hidden from the world. 

“Vader, can you hear me?” you tried again, panic evident in your voice. What the hell was wrong with him?

You looked him over, just now noticing that the buttons and controls on his life support box and belt were turned off. His respirator was not working. Somehow Vader’s life support system failed. 

“ _ Kriff _ ,” you cursed, and then you were up and running towards the back of the shuttle. 

“T-2, is there a life support system equipped on this shuttle?” you yelled, as you frantically searched the area for  _ anything _ . 

T-2 chirped in affirmative and you stopped as you realized that this was Darth Vader’s shuttle. Of course he would have some kind of life support on any shuttles he customized for his use. In case something like this ever happened. 

You instructed the droid to engage the system and then you ran back to the front of the cockpit and tried to lift Vader out of the seat. He was a lot bigger and heavier than you could possibly imagine. You struggled for a minute, finally dropping him on the floor and then dragging him across the shuttle towards the area where T-2 was preparing to engage the life support unit. 

You laid Vader down on his back as you inspected him. You had to take off his mask and his helmet in order to properly adhere the life support unit around his face. 

“Vader,” you tried again hoping that at any second the Sith Lord would wake up. He did not, and you cursed yourself that you were wasting precious minutes hesitating. 

You found the locking mechanism of the helmet when you searched for it, and then you pulled. It finally gave way to your tugging with a hiss, breaking the tight seal, and then you slowly pulled it off Vader’s head, followed by his mask. 

You gasped at the sight of a sickly looking man, with an unnaturally pale skin, long deep gashes on top of his bald head and one that ran across his left cheek. His eyes were closed, thin eyebrows furrowed in an expression of pain, and his skin was clamped with sweat. He was losing oxygen, and fast. 

You grabbed the mask that T-2 prepared for you and strapped it around Vader’s nose and mouth. The system took a second to re-calibrate and then it beeped in affirmative that it started to supply adequate oxygen levels for Vader to survive. But that wasn’t enough to keep the man alive. 

You noticed another device that looked like a heart monitor in the corner. You looked at Vader’s chest plate, and then back up to his face to see if he was regaining consciousness. He still looked the same and then something else caught your attention. Lack of condensation in the clear mask over his nose and mouth. He was not breathing. 

“What the hell,” you hissed as you engaged another system that would read Vader’s vitals. And as you suspected, Vader’s heart was not beating. Did the control panel on his chest regulate his heart as well? If that was the case you didn’t know what to do. 

“Kriff, kriff,  _ kriff _ ,” you screamed in exasperation. You reached for the heart monitor in the corner and found a device that looked unfamiliar to you. With what looked like pads with various cords and cables attached to them. A shock sign was on the front of the device. 

You worked quickly as you tore off the pads and used the ends of whatever remained of the cords and cables to makeshift a prod thin enough that you thought you could push through the control panel on Vader’s chest.

“T-2, I will need your help in using your electro-shock prods to send mild electric charges to this,” you pointed to the makeshift device. “You need to be careful, we don’t want to fry any of his circuits.”

T-2 chirped in affirmative as you prepared for the procedure. You didn’t know if this was going to work. You didn’t know how vulnerable Vader’s suit was to electrical discharges. You hoped that by sending them directly to his control panel, the impulses would then be sent directly to Vader’s heart by constricting the muscle with the continuous flow of shock waves thus allowing the heart to beat. 

This was your only option and you gave T-2 a go ahead to start. The droid extended its prods from one of his body’s compartments and started to emit electric charges to the device. You watched as the electricity was bouncing around Vader’s control panel and dispersing across his suit in waves. You watched intently for any signs of circuit’s frying or any smoke that would indicate you were overloading Vader’s system.

It was a long tense moment until you heard an unmistakable sound of a heart beat on the system that was monitoring Vader’s vitals. You almost cried in relief when you noticed a barely noticeable movement of Vader’s chest as he took his first ragged breath. 

“T-2, keep doing what you’re doing,” you instructed the droid as you continued to watch Vader’s face. He still hadn’t opened his eyes but at least he was breathing. That’s all that mattered. 

You weren’t sure if he was even conscious but you had to let him know what was going on and what happened to him. 

“Vader, try not to move, okay?” you quietly said as you watched him. “Your life support system failed.”

He did not respond, did not acknowledge that he even heard you, as he laid still on the floor of the shuttle. You were starting to get worried. It would be another hour or more before you reached the medical facility the General instructed for you to take him. What if he didn’t make it?

Another idea weaved itself inside your head, the one that might actually let you reach Vader inside his mind. You took a deep breath and closed your eyes and then reached yourself out to the Force like you did on Mustafar, searching for Vader’s presence. You had to concentrate harder this time when you didn’t feel him immediately. 

But then, almost like a soft whisper, you found a weak link that was still there, connecting you to him. You tried to nudge it to see if he would respond, and you softly gasped when he weakly nudged you back, letting you know he was still here with you. 

_ Vader _ , you tried again, this time speaking to him through the mental link for the first time.  _ Can you hear me? _

You felt an acknowledgment from him by the way he nudged at you again through your link with him. Perhaps it was too difficult for him to even use the Force to speak with you. 

_ We will be arriving at the medical facility soon _ , you continued.  _ Try to stay alive, okay? _

You didn’t get a response from him but you knew he heard you. You withdrew from your link with him and opened your eyes. Now, as the crisis was finally averted, you had the chance to fully look at his face and study his features.

You noticed that he was much older than you, but you couldn’t tell just how old by the many scars that littered his face, more prominent around his chin and what little you could see of his neck around his chin and neck guard. Vader had a grim look on his face, accentuated by hard lines around his tightly shut lips that were also scarred almost beyond recognition. The pattern of the scars looked familiar to you, you’ve seen soldiers getting burned alive during your servitude to the Empire and then later the Rebellion. Is that the damage Vader spoke of back on Mustafar?

He had dark circles under his eyes, with some wrinkles around the corners of them and on his forehead. His nose was mostly left unscarred, and it was long and elegant, with a thicker ridge. He had no hair on his head, except for some dark blond whisks of whatever was left of his eyebrows. You vaguely thought if that’s what his hair color would have looked like had he still had it. 

You sat and watched Vader in silence for a long time, constantly checking the monitors and his breathing to make sure everything was still okay. You occasionally directed T-2 with some instructions, but for the most part Vader’s body seemed to be responding well considering the situation.

At some point the beep on the control panel of the shuttle alarmed you that you were nearing the exit of the hyperspace jump. You didn’t want to leave Vader alone but you had to man the controls of the shuttle to make a smooth landing. You could trust to leave Vader in the care of T-2. 

You exited the hyperspace in front of the blue and green planet called Taris. You have never been to this part of the Outer Rim Territories before. The planet was located within the Ojoster sector in the Taris system. The General informed you through the datapad that you still possessed that there you would find a medical facility in the upper city of Taris, owned by a man who was a supporter of the Rebellion. His name was Zelka Forn. 

You easily guided the shuttle into the planet’s orbit, mindful of keeping an eye for any potential attacks. The planet was occupied by the Imperial fleet at some point after the end of the Clone Wars. Recently, after the death of Emperor Palpatine and fallout of the Old Empire, the planet assumed its neutrality and forced the Imperial fleet to leave the planet. Now, the talks of Taris joining the Rebel Alliance were in full discussion by the High Command. The people of the planet did not like the Empire, so you had to be mindful of flying the Imperial shuttle into its city. 

The city of Taris was a busy place, more urbanized and prosperous than some other cities in the Outer Rim. You had heard that at some point much of Taris had been destroyed by the past Galactic War and it was now slowly being rebuilt centuries later into what it once used to be. You made your way around the outskirts of the city, keeping a steady course towards the coordinates of the medical facility. 

You soon spotted a building in the clearing around some abandoned structures and you confirmed with the coordinates in the computer that this was the right place. Before you even began landing procedures, you had a signal on the front console of the shuttle coming from the area below you. Looks like Forn had been expecting you. 

You engaged the comlink. “This is Commander [Y/N], I have been sent here by the order of General Organa.” You kept the Rebellion part out of the conversation, who knew who might be listening on the other side of the link.

A male voice responded, “You are clear for landing. Wait until the hangar doors open before proceeding.”

You watched as the wide cleared area off to the side of the building you were above  started to slide open, revealing an underground landing platform. So the medical facility was underground, you realized.

Minutes later you were shutting down the controls of the ship and then running off to check on Vader. You had to figure out how to transport him in the condition he was in, but you supposed this facility was equipped with such things. You were ready to get up and head out when your eyes caught the sight of Vader’s lightsaber, still attached to the side of his belt. You bit the inside of your lip, hesitated for only a moment, and then snatched the weapon and hid it within the inside of your jacket as the ramp of the shuttle finally lowered down. 

An elderly Human male with dark skin, graying black hair, a mustache and brown eyes was standing off to the side, wearing his old and weathered doctor uniform. 

“Welcome, I have been expecting you,” he started looking over you until his gaze fell on the still form of Darth Vader, laying on the floor of the shuttle and his eyes widened. 

“Oh my, what happened?” Forn exclaimed, rushing in. 

“I don’t know,” you started, stepping out of the way of the man as he started to inspect Vader. “He was fine one moment and then his life support system shut down and…”

You trailed off, since the rest of it the Doctor could deduce on his own. Forn looked through the monitors and then back to the makeshift conductor that you made out of the wires and back to T-2. 

“I see,” replied Forn. “I will immediately begin preparing for the surgery. It seems we cannot delay this much longer. The only thing keeping him alive is your... creative way of utilizing the life support system.”

The Doctor got up and requested the droids in the facility to start preparing one of the rooms for the surgery. The rest of the droids were directed to bring in the hover stretcher to transport Vader off the shuttle. 

You watched as the droids disconnected the shuttle’s life support systems, disengaged the heart monitor and oxygen mask and carried Vader’s body into a medical capsule equipped with a life support system of its own to keep Vader alive for the duration of the short transport to one of the rooms where the surgery would take place. 

You stood outside the room, watching through the clear glass as the droids quickly did their work of removing Vader from the suit and hooking up various equipment of his cybernetics and computer systems to one of their own. You turned around when you saw Doctor Forn approaching you from the side.

“You should rest,” he kindly suggested, perhaps knowing from the look on your face that you were exhausted. “Perhaps one of my droids can take a look at that.”

Forn gestured towards the area of your chest where you thought you’d broken a few ribs. You didn’t even realize you were pressing on the area with your arm until the Doctor had said something. You shook your head, your injury can wait. 

“What about Vader?” you asked instead as you continued to watch the action behind the glass. 

“It will be a while before the surgery is finished,” Forn continued. “Based on the complexity of his suit’s life support system and his extensive injuries, we must take caution in treating him. One wrong move and his body won’t be able to take more stress. He is already overloaded from whatever caused his life support system to shut down.”

“Do you know what caused it?” you asked, listening intently to the Doctor’s words.

“I do not,” Forn replied. “But I will find out once we get Lord Vader out of that suit and complete our scans.”

You nodded, feeling nervous and apprehensive about the whole situation. Doctor Forn was right. You couldn’t do much standing here and watching. If anything, it only added more apprehension to your growing anxiety. Perhaps you could lay down and rest for the moment, although you hardly thought you could get any sleep with how frazzled your nerves were. 

“Okay,” you replied, turning to look at the man with seriousness in your eyes. “Please inform me of any changes.”

“I certainly will,” replied Forn and you were escorted by one of the droids into one of the visitors' suites aboard this medical facility. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eh, when I first wrote this chapter I was pretty happy with it. I don't know what it is about it now that I don't like but it's too late to change since I'm already five chapters ahead.   
> On the side note, Zelka Forn is not an OC he is actually a real character in Star Wars universe and used to live on planet Taris. (Thanks to wookieepedia wohoo :) But I'm pretty sure he is dead by the time this story takes place and oh well this is an alternate universe so whatever.   
> I wonder if anyone realizes what happened to Vader hehe.  
> BTW the whole thing with wires is kinda similar to AED if it didn't make sense in the story.


	12. Father.

You made contact with General Leia Organa as soon as you arrived at the suite. You kept your conversation brief, avoiding mentioning the details about Vader’s condition. There was no need to report it over the hologram, the General was on the way to the facility herself. You would have plenty of time to discuss your mission with the General once she arrived. 

You were pacing around the small clearing of the room in which you were staying, unable to rest or even settle down. You were worried about Vader. It had only been a few hours since the surgery had started. There were no updates from Doctor Forn as of yet. You supposed that was a good sign, you hoped Forn would notify you if something went wrong. 

Still, what worried you the most was not knowing what caused Vader’s life support system to just shut down. Fail all of the sudden out of the blue. You were curious to learn more from the Doctor once he was able to determine the cause of the problem.

You groaned out loud and started pacing again. This was taking too long. You decided to leave your suite and take a walk around the medical facility to occupy your mind. 

The facility itself was quite bare, most of the rooms were shut down and empty. The complex wasn’t that big to begin with and you wondered how the General found out about this place. The fact that it was underground soothed your nerves a little, that way if any attacks came your way the intruders would have to go through the top of the hangar to get inside. But lack of sunlight or any other natural light also made the facility feel damp, cold and very dark. You shivered when you neared the room where Vader was currently in. The glass was covered and you couldn’t see or hear anything behind closed doors. 

You pressed your back against the glass and slid down on the floor, burying your face in your hands over your knees. The wait was eating at your insides. You hated not knowing what was going on.

“Ah, Commander [Y/N],” the voice of the Doctor said somewhere about you and you lifted your head to see him standing off to the side looking at you in concern. “Is everything alright?”

You quickly composed your features and smiled weakly. “Yes, I am fine.” You furrowed your eyebrows wondering why the Doctor was outside the surgical center. 

“Why are you out here? How’s Vader?”

“Ah, the procedure is going well. Although it’s taking much longer than anticipated.”

You were about to ask the Doctor what he meant when he continued, “Lord Vader is very susceptible to infections due to his injuries and poor immune system. Unfortunately for the first part of the procedure I am not allowed to be in the sterile environment. I am solely supervising the procedure my droids are capable of doing on their own.”

“And it’s going well?” you asked.

“Yes, I can certainly say that but,” the Doctor hesitated before proceeding, “I didn’t expect the extent of Lord Vader’s injuries which is why the procedure will take longer than I originally anticipated.”

The comlink on Doctor Forn’s wrist went off. “Ah, excuse me.”

You considered Forn’s words as your mind went over all the information you gathered during your time getting to know the Sith Lord. You really wondered what had happened to him to put him in that suit in the first place. Your thoughts were interrupted by the Doctor’s words.

“General Organa has arrived.”

You followed the man back to the landing platform in time to see Leia Organa stepping out of the  _ Tantive IV  _ followed by her golden protocol droid C-3PO and the man you’ve seen plenty of times around the Rebel base, Captain Han Solo.

You listened to the exchanged greetings and formalities between Doctor Forn and General Organa and then her brown eyes found yours. 

“Commander [Y/N],” she started inclining her head in your direction. 

“General Organa,” you greeted her in respect. 

“We should convene in the room I’ve prepared for you,” Forn said and then he led you all towards the small room off to the side where you were staying that looked like a small meeting area. 

All five of you entered the small space and as soon as everyone was situated, the General started.

“Thank you, Commander [Y/N] for safely delivering Lord Vader to this facility,” the General started watching you from across the room. “I trust there were no further issues, besides the mishap with the rendezvous point?”

Right, you thought, the General knew nothing about the tracker or the fact that you were attacked on Mustafar. You looked at Han Solo and the Doctor and then back to the General’s face, silently asking if it was alright for the other two men to be present during such a sensitive discussion.

“I trust them,” Leia inclined her head in the direction of Han Solo and Doctor Forn.

You nodded your head before relaying most of what happened during your time with Vader after you left Tatooine. You left out the part about being attacked by the creatures, but told the General about the Grand Inquisitor and what Vader had learned from the prisoner during his short captivity on Mustafar about the other Inquisitors working with Thrawn. You never asked Vader what happened to the Grand Inquisitor but highly suspected that if Vader hadn’t killed him then he perished in the aftermath of Thrawn’s attack on Mustafar. 

The more you talked, the more the young face of the General was turning grim with new news. You mentioned the tracker in Vader’s suit and then the part about his suit malfunctioning and his life support system failing. That caught the attention of the General.

“I never authorized the placement of the tracker in his suit,” she said furrowing her eyebrows.

“Vader suspected it was Thrawn’s doing,” you explained recalling your conversation with Vader. “Thrawn has spies within the Rebellion, we suspect it goes as far as the High Command.”

You saw Leia’s eyes widened at that statement but you continued, “Vader suspected the tracker was placed during one of his… unconscious episodes at the detention center. Thrawn was able to buy the loyalty of Tamont and his men and that is how my team was ambushed. Thrawn was able to track us all the way to Mustafar while Vader still had the tracker in his suit until he was able to disengage it.”

“Mind if I cut in?” asked Doctor Forn as he listened to your words, a contemplative look on his face. “I found it odd to find something… unusual in my search when I was scanning Lord Vader’s suit. There seemed to be a device implanted within his central control system, which I believe is what caused his system to fail. The only way to activate it was by a remote control. And from what I could tell, the device would have been impossible to remove without further damaging the life support systems of Lord Vader.”

Your eyes widened at that statement, a small gasp escaping you as you recalled something else that was bothering you that you just now remembered. When you asked Vader, back on Mustafar, if he was able to remove the tracker. He hesitated then, you were sure of it. Did he know about the device when his droids scanned his systems? And if so, then he knew Thrawn could easily kill him by disabling his suit. Why did he not say anything to you?

“This is definitely a problem,” replied Leia as she too had a contemplative look on her face.

“There is more,” you started. “I believe Thrawn has new types of Star Destroyers in his possession. More powerful than the standard ones. Repeated hits by one of its superlasers can destroy a planet.” 

“Are you sure about that?” cut in Solo, grim look on his face. “To our knowledge there is no such technology available at this time.”

“I am sure,” you nodded. “Vader and I barely made it out alive when Thrawn attacked Mustafar with one of those Destroyers. The planet is destroyed.”

Silence followed your statement as Organa and Solo both looked at each other. You knew what everyone was thinking without having to read their minds. These new Star Destroyers were a major problem. You didn’t know how many of them were out there but even one such Destroyer was a powerful enough weapon that could obliterate many planets in its path. It was like having mini-Death Stars littered across the galaxy. 

Leia sighed, covering her face with her hands. The news were grim indeed, only heightening the despair most were starting to feel from this ongoing war. There seemed to be no end to it.

“Thank you, Commander,” she finally said as she looked at you. “I would like to discuss the condition of Lord Vader with Doctor Forn in private, if you don’t mind.”

You knew such a request was going to come from the General's mouth once you were done with your mission. Yet you felt a pang of disappointment that you weren’t going to stay and hear the details about Vader’s health. 

“Certainly,” you said as you got up from your sitting position and exited the meeting room. You noticed that Captain Solo stayed behind. You narrowed your eyes at that. There must be something that the General was hiding. Something to do with Darth Vader if you recalled the tense and personal argument Vader and The General were having on Mustafar. Something that Captain Solo was privy of. 

You decided to let it go and entered your suite in silence. The depressing atmosphere followed you in and you sighed. What would happen to Vader now? Would you ever see him again? You wondered at that particular thought. Why did it matter what Vader was going to do if he survived the surgery? Why would you care if you ever saw him again? You certainly wished to be done with the mission as soon as possible when you first received it. What changed during the short time you’ve gotten to know him?

You lowered yourself on the seat and pulled out Vader’s lightsaber that you stashed away back on the shuttle. You carefully examined it, twirling it in your hands. You lost your own lightsabers during the heat of the battle, as you were trying to escape the Imperial army and the Inquisitors in the bloody massacre. The weight of the weapon brought you some sort of comfort and you weren’t sure why. You resisted the urge to turn on the blade. You knew what color it would be, red, like the Sith Vader claimed to be. Yet you felt the pull of the kyber crystal in this particular saber, calling to you. You hid the saber back in your jacket just in time to hear a chime at the door of your suite. Someone was on the other side. 

You opened the door to reveal Leia Organa standing alone and expectantly looking at you. “Mind if we have a little chat?”

You nodded, becoming cautious of the reason why the General would want to talk to you in private. You’ve already relayed your mission’s information. 

“It’s nothing that you should be so tense about,” the General said as she walked further into the room. You furrowed your eyebrows at that, the woman was certainly very intuitive. 

As if on cue, Leia softly laughed and turned around to face you. “I may perhaps have learned a few tricks in the Force, thanks to my twin brother, Luke.”

You stared at the other woman, not quite understanding where this conversation was heading to. 

“I realize I haven’t been truthful with you,” the General continued. She paused as she surveyed the room and then sat down on one of the seats, motioning for you to do the same. 

You did so, and continued to look at the other woman, wondering at what she was thinking. You didn’t have to wait long as the General asked the question you were dreading to hear.

“You were once one of them, weren’t you?”

You shifted in your seat growing very uncomfortable. 

“Please,” the General started before you could come up with a response. “I am not judging you. I hardly have any right to do that.” 

She looked away at that, contemplating at something before turning back to look at you. “You have been a very valuable asset to the Rebellion ever since you joined. You’ve proved yourself many times leading some very difficult missions. And ever since Luke…”

She faltered at that, pain flashing in her eyes before continuing. “Ever since Luke Skywalker died, you’ve stepped up in your position as a Commander.”

“General,” you started not quite knowing what to say. “You’ve honored that title to me yourself. I’m grateful for that but I don’t understand.” You were very confused as to what the General wanted to hear from you.

Leia sighed before continuing, “I need to know that once the time comes you won’t hesitate to kill  _ them _ .”

You didn’t need for the General to elaborate on what she meant by  _ them _ . You knew she was talking about the Inquisitors. 

You were quiet, considering the General’s words. You never thought that far out, never thought you’d meet the Inquisitors again. Never thought you’d be the one to make the choice between the Rebellion and the Inquisitors. 

You thought you knew, thought if you ever saw one again that you’d just run away once more. But after what happened on Mustafar, you weren’t sure anymore. The sight of your Master froze you in your spot. You couldn’t do anything, let alone fight. What the General was asking of you was impossible. You swore you’d never raise your blade again. 

You were quiet, avoiding the General’s gaze. 

“The Rebellion needs warriors like yourself,” Leia quietly said. “We can’t fight the Inquisitors with just our blasters. We need someone like you to stand up and give hope to our people.”

“I am not a Jedi,” you snapped, the General’s words angering you more than you thought they would. 

“I am not saying you are,” the General continued, still speaking softly to you. “But you’re not a Sith either. And in my eyes, you are not one of the Inquisitors. You are something more.”

“And what of Vader?” you finally asked, changing the subject, and needing to know what the General hoped to accomplish with the Sith Lord. “Where does  _ he _ fall in all of this?”

“I suppose the answer will depend on his decision once he wakes up,” Organa hesitated for a moment.

“And you will trust him?” you asked with a suspicion in your voice. You didn’t understand why the General had hope for someone like Darth Vader. After all the atrocities he committed, after he inadvertently was responsible for the destruction of the General’s home world, Alderaan. Why would she still ask for his help?

“Luke trusted him,” Leia quietly responded, pain evident in her voice. “And if my own brother could trust a man such as Darth Vader, then I have to learn to trust him myself.”

“Why?” you asked, the Force swirling around you two as  _ something _ was in the air, something that you couldn’t quite grasp.

“Because,” Leia started, looking you dead in the eye as her next words pierced you. “Darth Vader is my biological father.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realize this chapter is not as exciting as others but I felt it was much needed. We need to see the relationship between Leia Organa and the heroine of the story.   
> Also the revelation of Leia's true parentage is quite shocking to most who find out. I don't believe everyone knew who Luke's and Leia's father was until much later on after the Battle of Endor and in this timeline it is still unknown to majority of people, well besides the ones that Leia trusts with her life like Solo.   
> The next chapter would be the last chapter for the first part of the story. Don't worry, I'm not stopping to write, it's just a conclusive end to this part of the story.


	13. Secrets.

The revelation shocked you speechless. You were left staring at the General in the new light of things, thinking over all the previous conversations and hints you were obviously oblivious to. The mission to retrieve Darth Vader now made perfect sense to you and Vader’s uncharacteristic patience with the General. To think that Vader was a father was a foreign concept to you, especially considering who his children were. 

“I must ask you,” Leia started, interrupting the silence that followed her bombshell announcement. “That you keep this information to yourself. You must understand the repercussions this information could cause if it reaches unwanted ears.”

Organa’s eyes were focused on yours, with seriousness in her tone as she spoke to you. You were wondering why she felt the need to disclose this information if she was so concerned about it spreading. The General answered your question with her next words.

“I wanted to be truthful with you,” Leia continued, guessing the thoughts that were running through your head. “I trust you with this information. And I trust that you will keep your promise of keeping it to yourself.”

You raised your eyebrow, about to point out to the other woman that you gave her no such promise, but the General beat you to it.

“I have a feeling that at some point the truth of Darth Vader will be revealed to the public,” she continued. “Truth about my parentage, and Luke’s. And about the man that he used to be before he was known as Darth Vader. It will happen eventually, probably much sooner than I anticipate.”

You narrowed your eyes at that. “Then why tell me?”

“I’m sure you can decide for yourself what will happen to me once the Rebellion learns of my ties to Darth Vader.” the General said, with a grim expression on her face. “Regardless of what I’ve done for the Rebellion, or my position in the High Command, the news of Darth Vader being my father will most likely affect my role in this war. I’m afraid I won’t be a General for long, much less being allowed to sit in on the meetings with the High Command.”

You started to see where the General was going with this conversation. “You want me to be your eyes and ears at the High Command once that happens,” you realized.

Organa nodded her head. “You are one of the few, along with your team, that knows Darth Vader survived the Battle of Endor. And you are the only one that is also aware that he is now here, and not in prison. I want you to keep that information to yourself. Which leads me to my next request.”

Leia once again hesitated before speaking, “I need you to keep this information hidden from your team upon your return to the base.”

“You want me to lie?” you asked, not at all hiding your displeasure in your voice.

“Yes,” she admitted. “I want you to tell them that Darth Vader did not survive the attack on Mustafar. They are aware the mission was top secret, but I cannot place my trust in all of them to keep that information to themselves. If they find that Darth Vader is dead it should placate them enough from wanting to disclose that information to the High Command.”

You scrunched your face considering the General’s words. You did not like lying to your team. 

“I apologize for placing such a burden on your shoulders,” admitted Leia with sincerity in her voice. “But we must keep the identity of Darth Vader a secret. To the rest of the world he is a dead man. And if Thrawn tried to kill Vader with the implanted device, then we have a chance to exploit his desires by leading him to believe that Vader indeed did not survive that attack.”

You silently agreed that the General’s idea made sense. If anyone at High Command realized, which they would at some point sooner or later, that Vader was released from imprisonment and their lead would bring them to your team, then the only thing you would be able to tell them is that Vader was dead. The General was trying to cover up her tracks while keeping the rest of your team safe from the backlash this revelation would cause from the Rebellion. 

“Okay,” you slowly started. “I agree with your terms.”

Organa nodded, a small smile gracing her lips, indicating that she was happy with your response. “I must ask you to head back to the base soon, your team is worried about you.”

You did not want to leave, you realized, when your chest coiled with tightness thinking of Vader and his critical condition. 

“Do not worry,” the General continued noticing your expression. “Doctor Forn is the best doctor I could find that is familiar with injuries such as Vader’s. It will be awhile before Vader fully recovers. If what Doctor Forn told me earlier, it might take a few weeks if not months.”

“Mind if I ask what happened to him?” you would be caught in a lie if you said you weren’t at all curious as to what happened to Vader that warranted him to be put in that suit.

The General regarded you for the moment before sighing. “I suppose it’s only fair that I tell you since I’ve asked you to hide your knowledge of Vader. I was told he was gravely injured in a fight against his old master at the end of the Clone Wars. They fought on Mustafar.”

Your eyes widened at that statement and your mouth formed into a silent “oh”. So Vader wasn’t just a sadist but a masochist, and insane for building a fortress and living on the planet where he almost died. You involuntarily shuddered at seeing Vader’s scars and what he must have gone through to survive.

“And he will be alright? I mean I saw some of his scars…” you started but then trailed off. 

“It’s a good thing that technology and science evolved from twenty years ago,” replied Leia. “With the help of nano-implants, stem cell regeneration, and grafts Vader should be fine. If he survived Mustafar then he will survive this.”

You nodded your head, satisfied with the answer. Your mission was over, the responsibility you felt to keep Vader unharmed was now passed on to the General. There was no longer any point for you to stay here. 

“Then I will depart immediately.”

“Take my ship,” Leia started. “And take C-3PO with you, he is an excellent droid but quite annoying at times, and now is one of them.”

You smiled at that. Yes, you’ve had your share of encounters with the golden droid. You might just have to shut him up for the duration of your flight back to the base.

You said your brief goodbyes to Captain Solo and Doctor Forn on your way out, heading towards  _ Tantive IV _ . T-2 and C-3PO were already boarding the starship bickering about something in the process. General Organa was right next to you, stopping at the foot of the ramp of her personal cruiser. She turned towards you as you were about to head in.

“Your secret will be safe with me,” she quietly said, not needing to elaborate what she meant. Your previous life as an ex-Inquisitor and your ties with the Old Empire. There were plenty of people in the Rebellion who once served the Empire at one point or another. There was no shame in admitting where you came from or who you used to be. But still, learning that you were an Inquisitor could instill fear in those that knew nothing of the Force. These same people that once respected Luke Skywalker but feared him as well for being a Jedi. 

“Thank you, General.”

You were soon leaving the atmosphere of Taris and were now en route towards Brentaal IV. You were alone on the ship, not counting C-3PO and T-2 that were somewhere near you. You had a lot to think about after everything that had happened in the last few days of your encounter with Darth Vader. 

You let your mind wander to the part of the conversation with the General that was bothering you the most. The part where she believed you could be more than what you currently were. That she believed you could become the new hope of people in the Rebellion. Just because you willed the power of the Force. 

This was a joke, you thought. A cruel joke thrown to you by the Force itself. You had no right to use the Force after what you’ve done. The mistakes and guilt of your past were constantly haunting you, not giving you a reprieve even in your sleep. Yet deep down, something was always there in the depths of your soul, calling to you. The light that you felt deep down was still there after all these years, even after you plunged yourself into darkness and drowned for years before finally coming up gasping for breath. 

You were scared. That’s what you finally realized what you were feeling. You were scared that if you ever used the Force again you would fall and this time you won’t have the strength to get back up. You did not want to ever feel that hopeless again. 

_ Hope _ . The word entered your mind. What exactly did it mean?  _ The Rebellion is built on hope. _ You heard that phrase many times uttered by the same people in the Rebellion that believed in it. That is what Leia Organa believed in. Yet hope was snatched from her hands when Luke Skywalker died. You saw the desolate despair in her eyes and her soul. The General never fully recovered from it. Yet she still believed there was still hope out there. And she entrusted that belief into you. 

The Force whispered itself around you, beckoning for you to open up to it again. You struggled for a moment until the whispers became stronger and you were forced to listen. You closed your eyes, concentrating on what the Force was telling you. You saw bits and pieces of memories that did not belong to you. No, not memories you realized. The Force was showing you the outcomes of your future. You saw a flash of yellow and blue around you, twirling in a dance. Two figures fighting side by side, strong in the Force. You couldn’t see their faces, hidden by the shadows around them. 

You saw destruction around you, screams of people and more death. But you also saw peace and tranquility, heard laughter and felt love. These were the two outcomes the Force was showing you.  _ You must decide _ , a voice unknown to you whispered. And just as soon as it came, the vision was gone and you were left gasping for breath.

_ What the hell was that? _

“Sorry for the intrusion, Commander,” C-3PO’s voice cut through your musings as he entered the room you were in. “We are cleared to dock on the base.”

You must have spent quite a while in this room if you were already back on Brentaal IV. You nodded your head at the droid and followed him back to the cockpit to finish the landing procedures. 

No sooner have you finished landing  _ Tantive IV _ and exited the ship when the green Twi’lek came rushing to greet you. 

“Commander!” Ra’alon exclaimed, running up to you and enveloping you in a hug. “We were so worried about you.”

You smiled. “I’m fine Ra’alon. I was only gone for a few days.”

Ra’alon grinned in response and tugged you towards the group of people standing off to the side. There you saw your team that had become your family in the last few years. Gin, Tryon and Gavid all smiling at you. And right next to them you saw the boy from Tatoone, Maxir. 

“So you made it here, huh?” you asked, coming up to the boy and ruffling his curly hair. 

“Oh, you should have seen Ra’alon huffing around the kid like she was his mother or something,” laughed Gavid.

“Oh,  _ shut up  _ Gavid,” exclaimed Ra’alon as she elbowed the man in the ribs. 

You laughed. It was good to be back.

**End of Part One**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I felt this was the appropriate way to conclude the first part of this story. Sorry there was not much action.  
> I've already written a few chapters ahead and let me tell you it is going to get exciting :)  
> I also wanted to tell you that my posting schedule will change starting this week. A lot of things are going on like getting ready for my admission interviews into medical school and also starting work back up in two weeks (yay thanks a lot COVID-19) but I will try to post at least 2 if not 3 times a week. Kudos <3


	14. New mission.

_Four months later._

“Another successful mission,” yawned Ra’alon as she was stretching in her seat next to Gavid and Tryon. 

You silently agreed with her on that one. You succeeded in forming an alliance with another planet that used to be under control of the Old Empire but had become neutral in the last three and a half years. You were on your way back to the new location of the Rebel Alliance base located in the Cyax system of the Outer Rim territories and away from the actions and terror of the New Empire. 

The Rebel Alliance and the New Empire were constantly in the never ending game of war of who was one step ahead of the other. The short-lived victories and successions of forming new alliances by the Rebellion were constantly a struggle against the same victories the New Empire accomplished by taking hold of more neutral star systems and increasing their military presence on the planets that used to belong to the Old Empire. Day by day more and more planets and star systems were falling under the ruthless reign of Thrawn and his New Empire. It seemed that the actions the Rebel Alliance took to restore the galaxy and bring peace to it in the last three and a half years were crumbling way faster than anyone could predict. 

The Rebel Alliance was forced to move their base to a more secluded location on the planet Da Soocha V. It made it easier to hide due to the planet’s relative obscurity but also difficult to travel to and from with the planet being in the uncharted territories within the Hutt space. The Hutts were never a pleasing species to deal with. 

“Commander, you need to take a look at that,” the voice of Gil said over the intercom of the ship and you made your way inside the cockpit.

You exited the hyperspace and were now nearing one of the newly cleared caverns located within the immense stone spires of the planet created by ancient volcanic eruptions, which had become a hangar and one of the operation decks of the Rebel Alliance. There you saw a large group of people gathered together waiting for your ship to land. You frowned when you spotted some of the Generals and Chancellor Mon Mothma, and standing off to the side was a tense looking General Organa. Something must have happened while you were gone. 

“Commander [Y/N]”, Mon Mothma addressed you as you stepped out of the ship inside the hangar. “We’ve been expecting you. If you could please follow us, we have some things to discuss.

You glanced back at your crew and then at General Organa who had not said a word to anyone and refused to look at you. The Force swirled around you, warning you. You had a growing suspicion this had something to do with Darth Vader. 

The group made their way inside the hangar and one of the command centers where the High Command conducted their regular meetings. Today the atmosphere was tense and everyone was quiet as they took their respective seats around a large circular table. 

You sat down next to one of the Generals, Duron Veertag, a Human male, who you had the pleasure to acquaint with in the last few years. Captain Han Solo was off to the side but close enough to General Organa with the same grim expression written on his face. You recognized a few other faces, General Carlist Rieekan, a Human male who once served a royal house of Alderaan and was good friends with Leia Organa’s adoptive parents before they died. General Wedge Antilles, who had just recently been promoted to that rank, still commanded the Rogue Squadron that once belonged to Luke Skywalker. Next to him sat Supreme Commander Gial Ackbar, a male Mon Calamari, calmly regarding the situation. In the center of the room stood Chancellor Mon Mothma, regarding everyone with her calculated look before proceeding the start of the meeting with her next words.

“We’ve just recently received an intel from the detention center on Tritus that Darth Vader is no longer on the planet’s surface.” She looked directly at Leia Organa as she proceeded. “To my knowledge the mission was authorized by General Organa to retrieve the prisoner and was directed by Commander [Y/N] and her team.”

Everyone turned to look at you as you silently cursed. This is what General Organa had warned you about back on Taris. You were actually somewhat surprised that it took the Alliance four months to learn that Darth Vader was no longer in imprisonment. You suspected that after the stunt Tamont and his men pulled back on Tritus and their obvious betrayal, the men were long gone from the detention center and were now most likely part of Thrawn’s military force. The Rebellion must have realized the lack of communication coming from the center and sent one of their men to investigate. 

“Care to explain your mission’s details, Commander?”

You composed your face, pretending to be unbothered by the news. You calmly relayed your mission’s information and details, mentioning a surprised ambush by Thrawn and your suspicions that Tamont and his men were the traitors of the Rebellion. You didn’t need to tell the High Command _all_ the details of what happened on your mission, and how it was Vader that discovered the traitors. You didn’t mention the tracker in Vader’s suit, only the part about your separation from the team and your arrival to Mustafar as you were once again attacked by Thrawn’s forces. 

“I was able to slip away by taking a different ship as the fight ensued. Thrawn has a new Star Destroyer in his possession, capable of destroying the planet. I watched Vader’s fortress getting destroyed with the rest of the planet. Vader could not have survived that.”

You finished your debriefing as silence ensued afterwards. Many stern faces were glaring your way, ready to pounce and criticize your attempts at hiding such information. The voice of General Organa cut through the silence. 

“It is true that I authorized this mission,” she started as everyone in the room turned to look her way. “I hoped that by bringing Darth Vader back, the Alliance would have the chance of ending the war and bringing peace to the galaxy.”

“General Organa,” Kapp Dendo, a male Devaronian, one of the intelligence agents of the Rebel Alliance said, addressing the General. “That was a foolish idea even by your standards.”

“I agree with agent Dendo,” said Mon Mothma looking at Organa. “What were you thinking doing this by _yourself_ without consulting the High Command first?”

“You know why I did it,” replied Organa as she swept her gaze around the room full of people. “You were the same people that locked Vader away after he offered his knowledge and military expertise to help fight the rest of the Empire.”

“And for good reasons!” exclaimed Ackbar as he leaned forward in his seat. “He was a mass murderer, a great threat to the galaxy. We could not afford to fall for his lies again and risk losing our forces.”

A murmur of agreement swept the room before it was silenced again by Mon Mothma. “You are sure that Vader is dead?”

Chancellor was looking right at you, her gaze hard, her face expressionless with worry etched in her eyes. You did your best to harden your own face. 

“Yes, I am sure.”

“We cannot overlook this direct violation of our code that General Organa and Commander [Y/N] committed,” General Crix Madine announced as he voiced what everyone else had on their minds.

“I will accept the full responsibility for my actions,” announced Organa. “It was my order Commander [Y/N] was following and under my direct orders she was not to tell anyone about this failed mission. This is not her fault.” 

Everyone in the room glanced at Mon Mothma, waiting for her verdict. 

“Leia,” she sighed as she addressed the General. “I’m sorry. You know the rules. I must suspend your rank for now as we figure out this situation.”

Organa nodded her head, “I assumed as such.” 

She didn’t wait for anyone else to say anything as she gracefully raised herself from the chair and exited the room in silence. Captain Solo immediately followed her out and you were left in a very awkward silence. 

“Now, Commander [Y/N],” Mon Mothma continued as she addressed you. “We need your full report on the Star Destroyer you mentioned earlier. There is no information on such a technology that you described.”

You nodded your head as you attempted to describe what you saw back on Mustafar. In the heat of the battle and trying to escape the deadly force, you were only able to note some things about the new Star Destroyer. You didn’t know if this was a prototype and if Thrawn had more of them up his sleeve. The fact that Thrawn was hiding this information and not using them in his regular quests to conquer planets was alarming. You didn’t know what he was up to. The same thoughts crossed the minds of the rest of the High Command. 

“We must find out if there are more of these things out there,” said General Veertag next to you. 

“I agree,” said General Rieekan as he continued. “We cannot afford for something like this to exist and not know anything about them. If what you said is true, Commander [Y/N], then Thrawn is most likely waiting until the right moment to reveal his hand.”

“We found an Imperial contact that might be able to help with acquiring this information,” you said and everyone turned to look at you. “General Organa and Captain Solo were aware of the existence of this weapon so they took it upon themselves to research more and gain the leads.”

For the last four months you’ve been working on the side of your regular missions to try and learn more about Thrawn’s new weapon. Organa, Solo and you all felt that should be the focus of your research in order to tip the scales of this war. The Rebellion destroyed the first two Death Stars and were able to turn the course of galactic history. You felt that by doing the same with the new Star Destroyers Thrawn would lose the majority of his control of the fleet and his military power. You were supposed to head to Cyrkon, one of the planets located in the Hutt sector of the Outer Rim territories to meet with the contact.

You could feel everyone’s stares as you continued, “The contact is expecting my arrival soon.”

“You withheld that information from us…” started agent Dendo, sounding very displeased, but was interrupted by Mon Mothma with her raised hand.

“Then your new mission is to meet this contact and obtain as much information as you can,” she said as she looked at you. “You will go without your team and I want you to take Captain Solo with you.”

You raised your eyebrow at that but decided not to comment. Your original plan was to head there together with Solo and Organa but it seemed like General Organa was not going anywhere this time. You suspected there would be a long meeting after you left between the High Command and General Organa to decide what they should do with her.

You were dismissed from the meeting and you were headed towards the _Millennium Falcon_ where you knew you’d find Solo and Organa. You spotted them around the side of the ship, noticeably arguing about something but trying to keep quiet as they did so. They immediately stopped their bickering when they noticed you.

“Everything went well?” asked Leia as she approached you.

“Could be better,” you responded with a shrug. 

You narrowed your eyes at the sight of the General's face. She was taking the news quite well despite what happened back at the meeting. Part of the truth was out, and you silently hoped the truth of Vader’s survival would stay put until much later. The repercussions of High Command finding out the full story would be most severe, most likely resulting in your own dismissal from the High Command. You were still surprised they have not reprimanded you more for your earlier misconduct. You suspected Organa’s fate was still up in the air, as well as her role in the Rebellion. 

“We have a new mission,” you looked at Han Solo as you said that. “We are leaving to meet our contact on Cyrkon.”

“So they know about it too, huh?” asked Han as he regarded you.

“About time that they did,” replied Leia as she sighed. “I supposed they left out the part where I could come with you two?”

“I’m afraid the High Command is expecting you back at the meeting,” you responded.

“Figures,” she uncharacteristically rolled her eyes unlike that of the Princess and the General. 

“Chewie will stay with you,” Han responded, worry etched on his face. “I don’t want you to be alone here with the whole base having a grudge against you.”

“You worry too much,” responded Leia but she had a soft look on her face with a barely noticeable smile. 

You left the lovers be, smirking at the way they were still obviously trying to hide their feelings toward each other from the others. You had some time to grab your belongings and tell your team you were heading out on another mission, without them this time. 

Something was telling you your next mission will be different than the others. You briefly wondered what Vader was up to, having not seen him since your time on Taris. You’ve never bothered to ask General Organa about him, only that he had recovered from the surgery and agreed to work as her agent acquiring information for the Rebellion. You had a strong feeling that you’d see him much sooner rather than later. 

You didn’t know why your heart skipped a beat at that thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are nearing the fun part :)  
> This chapter was needed to bridge the last one and the new mission together. Once again, the Rebellion's new base is real, they once occupied it in the Legends I believe? The High Command people are also all canon. Thanks to wookieepedia again.  
> Hope you enjoyed it!


	15. The ambush.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have debated to post a different version of this chapter for days and finally changed it to what it is now. But at the end of the chapter I also added the version that I've originally written for this chapter. It was definitely my fantasy (I've always wanted that to happen in the story) but alas the timing wasn't right just yet. But I wanted to share it with you and give you a little tease. Enjoy!

“Now this,” Solo smugly said as he was maneuvering _Millennium Falcon_ into one of the landing bays on the outskirts of Motok, a capital city of Cyrkon. “This is what I call _my_ _type_ of city.”

You rolled your eyes at that, smiling to yourself. Motok was one of the dozen cities scattered across Cyrkon, surrounded by the dome which protected its inhabitants from the poisonous toxins by regulating the temperature and atmosphere inside of it. Cyrkon was notoriously known for its corrupt government and hubs of many pirates and smugglers. Perfect location to conduct a business with an Imperial contact. 

You watched as one of the security personnel of the docking bay started to approach your ship. 

“Let me handle that,” announced Solo as he made his way out of the ship to greet the man.

You watched as Solo dropped some credits in the other man’s hand and said something to him which you could guess was some sort of bribery. You could buy almost anything on this planet as long as you had enough credits. Solo signaled for you to come out soon enough. 

“I see you fit right in,” you dryly said as you approached the man.

Solo laughed at your comment, “This surely reminds me of Corellia. Although the air here is stiff.”

You continued further into the city and Solo was able to rent a small transport that would take you to the heart of Motok. The location of the meeting was going to be sent to Solo’s comlink once you were close enough. Your contact was smart enough not to give it out immediately. 

You watched the city from the top, as Solo was piloting the transport, and scrunched your nose at the sight below you. The city was littered with garbage, its overpopulated streets reeking of nasty smells. You might have caught a glance of some crimes as well. This place was known for black markets off the streets, selling many illegal weapons, spice and even slaves. 

“This is it,” announced Solo as you approached one of the taller buildings in the city. The traffic here was jam packed and you decided to get off on one of the landing platforms and continued your progress on foot. Solo’s comlink beeped at that moment.

“Looks like he’s here,” he said and you nodded.

Solo continued to lead the way since he had the coordinates and soon you got off the busy streets and turned around the corner into a dark alley. Off to the side you saw a sign that was barely readable, but the many empty bottles littered around it told you that this place was some sort of a pub. 

Both Solo and you tugged the hoods around your heads to hide your faces and then entered the establishment. There was practically no one there except some drunks slumped on the bar stools. You looked around checking the place for any dangers and locating all the potential exits. Your eyes fell on the lone figure sitting in the shadows in one of the corners. You nudged Solo with your elbow.

You slowly approached the figure until you both stopped in front of the booth. The figure sat sill, his face hidden by the shadows.

“You’re Solo?” the rough voice of the man asked, not looking up. 

“Depends on who’s asking,” asked Solo as he reached for his blaster. “You’re our contact?”

“The name’s Lon,” the man replied.

You and Solo sat down on the opposite bench of the booth facing the man.

“You got the credits?” Lon asked in his gruff voice.

“Yeah, I got them,” Solo replied. “Start talking.”

The man laughed. “That’s not how this world works, _Solo_. You of all people should know that.”

Solo hesitated before reaching in his pocket and dropping a bag in front of the man, Imperial credits jingling inside of it.

“I’m giving you half, the rest you’ll get once you tell us what you know.”

Lon reached across and snatched the bag. “Fine. What do you want to know?”

“Do you know anything about Thrawn’s new Star Destroyers?” you asked, keeping your voice quiet lest someone was listening. 

“Huh? What’s that talk about new Star destroyers? First time hearing about it.”

You glanced at Solo, furrowing your eyebrows. This man was good for nothing. He obviously did not know anything. 

“Then what do you know?” asked Solo.

“Heard whispers that Thrawn was working with Crimson Dawn and their boss,” said the man leaning forward. “You know what they are, don’t you?”

You looked at Solo once again. You’ve heard of them, this Crimson Dawn. A criminal organization that Solo once had a chance of acquainting himself with their former boss, Dryden Vos. The man was now dead. What the hell did Thrawn have business with a criminal organization?

“Who’s the new boss?” you asked.

“See, that’s the thing. No one knows who he is. No one’s seen him, except Thrawn of course.” Lon replied as he played with the credits. 

“But the curious thing are those kriffing bastards with their red lasers,” continued the man. “They seem to answer to the boss, not Thrawn.”

You chewed your lip, considering what you’ve just learned. So the Inquisitors are not Thrawn’s army to control. They were his bodyguards and his spies but they answered to someone else. Who? 

You suddenly felt something in the Force, tuning out Solo’s next question. Ever since Mustafar the Force had been much harder to ignore and you were becoming more intuitive to it. Like right now, as it was warning you.

“You weren’t followed here, were you?” you asked, interrupting Solo’s question. 

The man didn’t get the chance to respond as something was thrown inside the pub through the crack in one of the windows. A smoke bomb went off seconds later.

“Solo, duck,” you screamed just in time as lasers started going off from the entrance of the pub, shooting in the darkness. You heard shuffling and screams of drunks that were unfortunate to be caught in the crossfire. Solo was already shooting from under the booth at the source of the attack. You heard a grunt from above you and then a distinct thunk as Lon’s head hit the table, dead from the shot in the forehead. 

“Kriff,” you cursed. “There goes our only lead.”

You readied your own blaster, feeling through the Force for the attackers. You felt one off to the side of the building.

“Cover me,” you screamed as you dashed out the side exit of the pub. You spotted a figure in the dark who noticed you and started shooting at you. You ducked and dodged each of the blaster bolts and then took an opportunity to shoot at the assailant. You hit the side of the assailant’s body, wounding him but not enough to kill. The figure dashed inside the dark alley and you followed, running full speed.

You were now gaining speed, only focusing on the back of the assailant. You didn’t realize that you exited the alley into the main street until the figure turned the corner and ran straight to the group of stormtroopers gathered next to one of the Imperial convoys. 

_Kriff_ , you thought as you tried to slow down, forgetting for a moment that the planet was still controlled by the Imperial government. 

“A rebel,” the assailant shouted, drawing the attention of the stormtroopers. “I saw her shooting at one of the Imperial men.”

You cursed again as you leapt through the air and on top of one of the shortest buildings, rolling down as the troopers started shooting at you. This was not what you imagined when you accepted this mission. You raised your head enough to see the assailant now escaping to another dark alley.

_Kriff_ , you cursed looking for a way out. You spotted another building you could leap to, which would lead you to another section of the city, parallel to the alley the assailant escaped to. You didn’t waste a moment, timing your jump perfectly and rolling on the roof of the building until you came to a stop. You jumped down and away from the troopers, and started running towards a road perpendicular to the one you were in. If you were right, the assailant would end up on the same road as you. You turned the corner expecting the assailant to be there but it was empty. 

_What the hell?_

You heard the shouts behind you and ducked to the alley you saw the assailant ran off to. Was there a secret exit that he used to escape? You didn’t get the chance to look for any signs as a gloved hand grabbed you from the shadow. You would have screamed if it wasn’t for another hand covering your mouth and dragging you further into the shadows of the buildings. 

“Be quiet,” a male voice hissed in your ear as he continued dragging you off to the side of one of the buildings. He flipped you around and pressed your back against the cold stones as he covered his body with yours, his knee coming up between your legs, preventing you from escaping. 

You tried to use your hands to push his hard body away from yours and even tried to scratch at his face, in the process only making your situation worse as the man grabbed both of your hands and raised them above your head, slamming them against the wall of the building. His other hand continued to cover your mouth to muffle your screams as his face neared yours, his hot breath tickling the side of your neck as he dipped his head to your shoulder, shielding your precarious position from the unwanted eyes. You continued to struggle as you heard stormtroopers rounding the corner.

“Nothing here,” one of them announced as the lights from their drawn weapons skimmed over where you were pressed against the wall. “Looks like some love birds wanted to get on with it.”

They chuckled at that and proceeded on to check the nearby streets. You were beyond pissed as you finally moved your head in the man’s direction, bumping it with enough force to see stars behind your eyes but it did the trick. The man hissed and faltered, giving you a chance to push him away enough to free your legs, and you kneed him right in the groin. 

“Oh, _karking_ hell, woman,” the man groaned, finally releasing you and you trained your blaster on the man’s chest.

“You are so _dead_ ,” you hissed.

The blaster was torn out of your hands by the invisible threads, the _Force_ , you realized as your mouth popped open in shock. The man grabbed your blaster and switched it to safety before he stashed it inside his cloak. 

“Now, now _Commander_ ,” the man’s smugness permeated his voice. “Let’s not be rash.”

You gaped at the man standing in front of you in shock, thoughts running through your head too fast for you to understand what any of them meant. One of them screamed louder at you than others.

He used the Force. _He used the Force._

  
“ _Vader?!_ ”

___

(The altered version)

You tried to use your hands to push his hard body away from yours and even tried to scratch at his face, in the process only making your situation worse as the man grabbed both of your hands and raised them above your head, slamming them against the wall of the building. His other hand let go of your mouth as he struggled to hold you down and you saw an opportunity to scream.

Except you didn’t get that chance as you felt his mouth on top of yours, muffling your screams. You continued to struggle as you heard stormtroopers rounding the corner.

“Nothing here,” one of them announced as the lights from their drawn weapons skimmed over where you were pressed against the wall. “Looks like some love birds wanted to get on with it.”

They chuckled at that and proceeded on to check the nearby streets. You were beyond pissed as you finally bit down on the man’s lip, hard enough to draw his blood. The man hissed and faltered, giving you a chance to push him away enough to free your legs, and you kneed him right in the groin. 

“Oh, _karking_ hell, woman,” the man groaned, finally releasing you and you trained your blaster on the man’s chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this is a short chapter but I'm planning on combining the next two in one very long chapter. Actually my next few are pretty long. Lots of action in this arc of the story as you'll see later on :)
> 
> Yes, I've included Crimson Dawn. They are a major part of this story as well. And I'm definitely not following what happened in Star Wars Rebels, more like what happened in Solo movie. 
> 
> Once again the city and the planet in this chapter are in Legends. I really liked the description of the city when I searched for the perfect location.


	16. Two of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised, two chapters combined into one to speed up the story a little.  
> When I first wrote the chapters I was fairly happy with them, I had to tweak them a little for them to make more sense. Hope you enjoy it!

“Good, seems you still remember me.” Vader nonchalantly replied, unfazed by your anger.

You continued to stand still, trying to process what the hell just happened and trying to register Vader’s voice. It sounded _different_ , not his usual deep baritone voice modulated by his vocoder but a soft, slightly raspy voice with a hint of huskiness in it which you found you actually _liked_. 

You couldn’t distinguish his features hidden behind a robe he wore and the hood that covered his face, the darkness of the alley not helping either. But you could tell he was still broad-chested and tall. You snapped out of your reverie and growled.

“ _I’m going to kill you_ ,” you tried to lunge at him again, this time ducking to the ground below him and extending one of your feet to knock him from under his own feet. Vader was quick and moved to the side and then he was behind you in a split second, forcing your arms behind your back in a steel grip.

“Calm down,” his voice was right next to your ear and you did your best to contain the shudder his breath evoked from you.

Your comlink went off at the exact moment.

“Vader, let me go.”

Instead of replying Vader engaged your comlink while still holding you.

“Kriffing hell, where the hell did you run off to?” Solo’s voice cut through sounding less than pleased. “The whole place is on high alert, stormtroopers everywhere, something about a rebel here.”

You were about to respond when Vader’s voice beat you to it. “Captain Solo, it’s a misfortune to hear your voice once again.”

“Huh, who the hell is that?”

“Solo…” you cut in, struggling and failing to get out of Vader’s hold. “Never mind that.”

“Did you find the assassin?” Solo asked and you heard what suspiciously sounded like blaster bolts through the comlink. 

“Well, I would have…” you started, getting agitated once again until Vader interrupted you.

“He is dead.”

“ _What_? Vader, you killed our only lead?” you exclaimed, forgetting about your locked position as you tried to turn around and glare at Vader.

“Wait, Vader is _here_?” asked Solo with surprise and panic laced in his voice.

“Send us your coordinates, Solo, we are on our way.” Vader replied and then shut off the comlink.

“Vader, release me,” you hissed, considering to use the Force on him if it made him let you go. You also had a personal vendetta against him now after the kriffing bastard slammed you against the wall and humiliated you in front of the damn stormtroopers by pretending to _kiss_ you.

“ _That_ is _not_ what I intended to happen,” Vader hissed, listening in to your loud thoughts. “I silenced you with a tactical approach and managed to throw off the pursuit of troopers that you inadvertently caused by your reckless actions.”

“I sometimes question what you call your _tactical_ approaches,” you retorted. 

Vader did not respond as he finally released your arms and you immediately turned around to glare at the man. Your wrists hurt as you rubbed them to bring the circulation back.

“What are you doing here?” Vader asked instead, folding his arms across his chest.

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” you replied, still glaring at him.

You had an impression Vader was glaring back at you, holding on to his patience on a thin thread. You sighed, you forgot how difficult this man was.

“Solo and I were meeting an Imperial contact here until we were ambushed. Our contact is now dead and I was hoping to catch the assassin _alive_.” 

You said the last part with venom, wanting Vader to hear how displeased you were with the outcome of him murdering the assailant. Now you were empty handed, no contact and no lead, and still having millions of questions about Thrawn and his plans. 

“So, are you going to tell me now what you are doing here?”

“We should move,” replied Vader instead as he started to move in the direction where you came from.

You gritted your teeth, willing yourself to stay calm. Vader was a difficult man to work with. You followed Vader out into the main street, keeping to the walls of the buildings and trying to blend in with the rest of the population. You spotted several convoys with stormtroopers off to the side. You were heading in the direction of the coordinates Solo sent you until something else caught your eye.

It was so minimal, so minuscule, that any other person would have missed it not knowing what they were looking for. An imperial insignia rimmed in red on one of the Imperial soldier’s black uniforms. No, you thought as your eyes widened, not a soldier. An Inquisitor. 

You made your way next to Vader, practically touching his body as you whispered. “Vader, there is an Inquisitor here.”

Vader kept walking, not turning his head or acting out on what you’ve just said. “I am aware.”

“ _Why_?” you hissed, keeping your voice low. You didn’t understand why the Inquisitor would be here on this planet and why Vader was here as well.

“Just keep walking,” Vader replied, his voice thick with tension. 

You decided to let it go for now until you get off the streets and find Solo. Then you will have plenty of time to interrogate Vader for answers. 

You finally made it inside one of the building complexes that looked unused but at one point served as some kind of a storage utility. You saw Solo perched up against the far wall. He trained his blaster when he spotted you and Vader approaching but lowered it down when he recognized it was you. His face was scrunched in worry and agitation as his gaze was trained on the cloaked figure of Vader.

“Well, kriff, never thought I’d see Darth Vader walking around unrestrained and as a free man,” Solo said in his gruff voice. 

“The feeling is mutual, Captain Solo.” Vader responded and the men glared at each other, something passing between the two of them. This animosity between the two stemmed from some personal grudges in the past. 

“Okay, we don’t have time for this,” you cut in, placing yourself between the two men. 

“I agree with the Commander,” replied Vader. “You both need to get off this planet immediately.”

You cocked your eyebrow at that. “And you?”

“I still have some unfinished business to take care of,” Vader vaguely replied.

“Okay, no,” you cut in rounding up on Vader. 

“You work for General Organa, and we,” you motioned between Solo and yourself. “We work for the Rebellion, which makes you a Rebel just as much as any of us are.”

You felt Vader’s mood drop as he shifted his stance to lean closer to you. You didn’t care as you continued, “So, since we are both in this mess because you killed our lead, it's only fair that you tell us what the hell you are up to. We can’t just go empty handed back to the High Command.”

“And how is that _my_ problem?” Vader growled.

“Vader, I just told you,” you hissed through your clenched teeth. You felt an urge to hit him. “What is the Inquisitor doing here?”

You heard Solo behind you inhale in surprise at you mentioning the Inquisitor but your focus was solely on Vader as you peered inside his hood. You could only see the outline of his jaw and nose, his eyes and the rest of his face still hidden in the dark. 

“I was following a lead,” Vader finally replied.

You narrowed your eyes at that. That was a cryptic answer, although you expected nothing more from Vader. 

“And how does that justify you killing the assassin?” you asked, folding hands across your chest. 

“ _That_ was part of my lead,” Vader tersely replied. “It seems whatever you and Solo had done had messed up _my_ plans and I was forced to kill him. Not to mention you managing to draw the attention of an Imperial army.”

“Ugh,” you screamed in exasperation. “Now you want to blame me for your lack of foresight?”

Vader’s body twitched, a low growl escaping his throat. You ignored him.

“Now we still don’t know anything about Thrawn and his Star Destroyers, we lost both of our leads _and_ we barely know anything about Crimson Dawn.”

“Crimson Dawn?” Vader asked, something in his voice catching your attention. 

“You’ve heard of them,” you said, confirming that Vader knew something that you didn’t.

“A syndicate criminal organization. Yes, I've heard of them.” Vader replied before continuing. “They have one of their cells here on Motok. The assassin that killed your lead was part of it.”

“You were investigating them,” you realized what Vader was implying with his nonverbal cues. “Why?”

“It seems the Inquisitors are interested in their organization. I was simply following their trail which led me here.”

“The Inquisitors are working _with_ Crimson Dawn,” you replied. You thought back on what Lon had told you before he was shot. “Do you have any idea who their new leader is?”

“No. Why?”

“Because apparently Thrawn and the new boss of Crimson Dawn are now buddies,” cut Solo who was silent this whole time. “Our contact told us that the Inquisitors are answering to the new boss. Perhaps that’s why they are swarming this place.”

“You said one of the cells was here?” you asked Vader, thinking of a plan. “Do you know where it is?”

Vader regarded you in silence for a moment, trying to figure out why you needed to know that. “If I did, why does it matter?”

“I need you to take us there.”

“Woah, woah, woah,” exclaimed Solo as he rounded up on you. “Do you know how dangerous those guys are? They won’t hesitate to kill us all. If Dryden Vos was a maniac, imagine what this new boss is like.”

“But you’ve dealt with them before,” you replied. “You know how they operate, what they are like. We have an advantage here.”

“I must agree with Solo,” Vader cut in. “Your plan lacks any solid points that it will work, and it _reeks_ of insanity.”

“You must be rubbing off on me then,” you casually replied shrugging your shoulders. 

Vader simply continued to glare at you, unamused by your comment, saying something in Huttese under his breath that sounded suspiciously like curse words. 

“You are welcome to tag along,” you continued. “But we are going, whether you like it or not.”

___

“You’re planning to just walk in there?” asked Solo, doubt penetrating his voice as he observed the scene in front of him.

You were hiding on a street below in front of a night club in the outskirts of the city, in one of the wealthiest parts of Motok. The district you were in was cleaner, much nicer with more lights on the streets and fancier speed bikes and transports around the area. You watched as different species were wandering the streets dressed in sophisticated and expensive clothes. This was a business area and as such you weren’t that surprised that the organization such as Crimson Dawn would be hiding in such a plain sight in the midst of all the corrupted businesses that were most likely part of the black market. 

“I have the best shot at that,” you replied, still watching the streets. 

“Care to enlighten us of your plan?” replied Vader next to you who insisted on staying after he showed you this place. 

“Well, I’m going to pretend I’m one of the clients for Crimson Dawn,” you started. “And that I have information they would be pleased to hear.”

“Which is?”

“That the infamous Han Solo is here and that I know where he is,” you replied glancing at Solo.

“ _What_?!” exclaimed Solo as he glared at you. “Now you listen, I wanted no part of this plan and now you’re dragging my name into it?”

“As what you’ve told me so far, Crimson Dawn has been looking for you for years now, right? You were directly involved in the death of Dryden Vos. That would certainly catch their attention.”

“I did not kill him,” Solo growled.

“That doesn’t matter now does it? They still want you dead.”

“And then what? You think they’ll just let you roam the area and snoop around for the information?”

“Oh, Solo,” you laughed. “You obviously don’t know what it’s like being a woman in this world.”

“What the hell is that _supposed_ to mean?”

You shrugged your shoulders at that deciding not to comment. You had your own charms and were planning on using them. Vader and Solo didn’t need to know that. 

“Can I have my blaster back now?” you asked, turning to Vader.

“And what of the Inquisitor?” Vader asked, handing you back your blaster and you hid it in one of the inside pockets of your jacket. 

“Oh, I suppose I’m glad I brought this,” you smiled as you took out the cloaking device Vader had given you a few months back on Mustafar and put it on your finger. “Keep your comlinks on, I’ll signal if there’s any trouble.”

Vader was about to respond with a cruel remark but you beat him to it as you took off towards the night club without glancing back. The plan was simple. You would get inside the building and act like you were one of the bounty hunters working for Crimson Dawn. Solo would be watching the front of the building and signal you if there was any trouble. Vader would circle the back and cover the other exit. Your main goal was to get as much information as you could about the new leader of Crimson Dawn and his connection to Thrawn while also not getting caught by the Inquisitor. You had plenty of confidence you could pull this off, there is no way any of them would recognize you. 

You approached the guards and sweetly smiled at them as you loosened your long wavy hair and unzipped your jacket to show the curves under it. You had to work your woman’s charm as well to get in. The guards looked at you and then signaled to get in.

The inside of the club was dark and loud, with lights shining all over the place and several bodies grinding on the dance floor. The smell of spice and alcohol was permeating the air. You were pretty sure you saw several of them using death sticks as well. You approached the center of the club to the bar where you saw a bartender serving some drinks. Perhaps you could start there first.

“Something fruity, please,” you ordered and then took a seat casually glancing around yourself noting everything that was around you. You saw several groups of people gathered around the corners of the club, some of them looking out of place in this establishment. You guessed some of them were bounty hunters by the amount of weapons they carried and the rowdiness with which they presented themselves. 

“First time seeing you here,” a voice said behind you and you turned around to see a Human male standing near inches away from you leaning with one of his hands on the bar counter. The stench of alcohol wafted against your senses and you had to work on composing your face.

“First time for everything,” you sweetly replied smiling at the man.

He looked you up and down, his gaze lingering on the open cleavage of your top as the look of hunger appeared in his eyes.

“Yes, I suppose so.”

He leaned in closer to your face and your eyes widened at what you realized he was trying to do. You expertly ducked under him and flipped around to stand behind his back as you used your hand to grab the back of his neck and slammed his face into the counter, in the process spilling your drink all over the man’s head. The music continued blazing but you felt the eyes of many on your back as you checked to make sure the man was out.

“My, my,” another voice said behind you and you whirled around prepared to fight only to be stopped at the sight of a tall middle aged man, wearing expensive clothes and cologne. On his neck you saw a chain with a round golden symbol. The symbol of Crimson Dawn. 

“I hope he didn’t cause too much trouble for someone as… beautiful as you are,” the man continued looking at you with his piercing blue eyes. “My name is Dryce Val. I’m the owner of this establishment.”

You tried to calm your beating heart as you sweetly smiled at the man and offered him your code name. This was the head of this cell. You had to tread cautiously. 

“I was hoping to meet with you,” you continued. “I have some information that might interest you.”

Val looked at you with a quizzical expression and then smiled, indicating for you to follow him. He led you to the stairs you didn’t immediately see in the corner which led to the second floor of the building. Guards were on each floor as you continued following the man and soon you entered through another door, which led to a spacious room. It was richly decorated with the right tastes. The door shut behind you and the quietness of the room startled you. So it was also sound proof. Perhaps that was to your benefit. 

“Please, sit down,” Val offered you a seat as he made some drinks in the corner of the room. You discreetly turned on your comlink for Solo and Vader to listen in on the conversation while you pretended to be interested in various weapons adorning the walls of the room. The man noticed your gaze as he replied.

“I like to collect them. It is my hobby,” he came over and offered you a drink. You smiled but did not taste it. “So, what is it you wished to speak with me about that might interest me?”

The man was punctual. You liked that. You won’t beat around the bush either.

“I’m sure you’ve heard of a man, Han Solo, haven’t you?” you started, keeping a small smile on your face and carefully watching the man in front of you.

The man’s face morphed in that of a surprise. “The smuggler that killed Dryden Vos,” he slowly started, his look contemplative. “There is quite a bounty on his head.”

“I know where he is,” you continued. “I am here for the bounty.”

“If you know where he is,” Val continued, taking a sip of his drink. “Then why haven’t you killed him yet and brought his head to me?”

You smirked. “Wouldn’t you rather have him alive? The man is no good being dead to you if he can’t talk.”

Val laughed, his head falling back on his shoulders. “I like you,” he finally responded, returning to his serious mode. “Then you shall bring him to me alive.”

“On one condition,” you responded, not missing a beat. “I want your leader to know it was me who captured Solo and brought him to you.”

Val laughed again, this time devoid of any emotion. “You want our leader to meet _you_? A mere... girl.”

You disregarded the man’s insult and continued to stare at him. You didn’t come here all the way to leave empty handed. Even if you didn’t meet the man, you’d certainly hoped Val would at least tell you of his name.

“Very well,” Val continued after a moment. “I cannot guarantee that our leader would want to meet with you. He is quite a busy man. But, I suppose the message can be delivered to him in _other_ ways.”

Val pressed a button on the inside of his wrist and the door opened, revealing a figure in the dark clothes, a helmet and an Imperial insignia rimmed in red. Your eyes widened. The Inquisitor. 

Another one.

There was more than one Inquisitor in this city. You remained still, watching the Inquisitor from the corner of your eye. You couldn’t tell what hid under that mask. You silently hoped the Inquisitor wouldn’t recognize you. Your fingers wrapped around the ring, praying the device would hide your Force signature from the man completely. 

“Let me introduce one of our leader’s loyal soldiers,” Val continued. “Zen One.”

The Inquisitor fully stepped into the light of the room, nodding his head in respect to Val.

“You can even use him to take down Solo,” Val continued. “That smuggler can be quite elusive as he had been for the past few years.”

You were quiet, not knowing what to say. You were in a delicate situation. Right now you were in no position to take down the Inquisitor by yourself. But perhaps together with Vader you could. You needed to lure the Inquisitor away from here.

“That is quite kind of you,” you finally responded, returning your smile at Val. “But what guarantee can you give me that I won’t be killed once you get your hands on Solo?”

“You’d just have to trust me, my dear,” Val responded, finishing up his drink. “I presume Solo is on this planet?”

You were startled by that question. You never told Val that Solo was here. The man was sharper than you thought.

“Yes, he is.”

“And did he arrive on his famous _Millennium Falcon_?” Val continued oblivious to your growing discomfort. “I like to keep tabs on my bounty. His ship is dear to him, the man rarely travels without it.”

“Yes,” you ground out. “That is how he arrived here.”

“I want the ship found and secured,” Val gave command through his comlink to someone on the other end. “Happy hunting my dear. I’ve made your job that much easier.”

You paled at Val’s words but did not respond. You only hoped that Solo and Vader heard everything through the comlink and Solo was smart enough to get out of the city before he was captured. You left the room with the Inquisitor in tow behind you as you continued further down the corridor until you made it out of the back exit. 

“So, care to tell me anything about your leader?” you tried to keep your voice casual as you went further down the alley. You made sure to keep the Inquisitor within your sight at all times. 

Zen One did not respond as he continued following you. You rounded another corner into another dark alley, this one away from all the commotion from the main street. It was too quiet for your liking. The Force swirled around you in warning. Where the hell was Vader?

At the other end of the alley was a figure standing, waiting for you. You did not see it there a minute ago. You stopped walking.

“What the hell is this?” you asked, trying to keep your voice from wavering as you started to reach for your blaster.

“Did you honestly think you could fool Dryce Val?” asked the figure as it stepped from the shadows. Your eyes widened when you realized who that was. The Inquisitor you saw on the street when you were with Vader.

The Inquisitor pulled out a holo transmitter and played a recording that looked like it was taken from a camera of you with Solo leaving the landing terminal. Your eyes widened at the realization. You were watched from the start. Crimson Dawn knew who you were, they sent their men to ambush the meeting and try to kill you. You gritted your teeth. You should have expected that.

“Now tell us where Solo is as well as your Rebellion,” said the Inquisitor in front of you.

You heard an unmistakable snap hiss of a lightsaber behind you as Zen One ignited his weapon. 

“Tell us, dear sister, and perhaps we shall spare you,” said the one in front of you as he lunged towards you with his own two lightsabers in hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No, we still don't know what Vader looks like and won't see his actual face for a while longer. He likes to keep it hidden (like in the ROTS).  
> As far as the plot of the story and the dialogue, I hope it makes some sense. I think I was half drunk when writing this :3  
> I also had to tweak the part where Vader and heroine are discussing what Vader had done to her since in my original attempt he kissed her. That dialogue was fun to write but I had to change it.


	17. The reasons.

You managed to avoid direct hit in front and behind you as you ducked to the side, rolling on the ground below you before you jumped up and started running away from the Inquisitors. You had no chance of beating both of them with just your blaster. The Force screamed at you to duck again and you jumped up in the air, avoiding the heat of the lightsaber mere inches from your body. You pushed yourself off the wall in the process somersaulting over the head of the Inquisitor as you landed behind him and tried to shoot. He managed to avoid your hits with the deflection of his lightsabers before you saw the one behind you running full speed ready to strike. You tried to jump again but were caught off guard as a Force push slammed you against the nearby wall, making you gasp in pain. 

“Dear  _ sister _ ,” the Inquisitor mocked, the one you didn’t know the name of. “You’ve grown weak.”

You hissed at that as you tried to get freed from the hold. The Inquisitor only laughed at your meek attempts.

“Do you remember me, sister?” the man continued as he started advancing towards you. ‘We used to be the best ones out of all of the Inquisitors. The strongest team, the  _ finest _ one.”

Your eyes widened. “Varlo,” you whispered. Or the one they used to call the Eleventh Brother. You didn’t think he survived the purge. 

“So you do remember,” Varlo sneered as he dropped you on the ground. 

You shakely raised yourself from the ground preparing to fight. Both Inquisitors were advancing on you, trapping you with the wall behind your back. You had nowhere to run. 

A blaster shot rang from the darkness of the alley and the Inquisitors turned, giving you just enough time to jump to the side and away from them. You shot your own blaster a few times, each time the shots were deflected by the red blades.

Zen One was lunging your way again when he was suddenly slammed in the wall with enough Force to crack some bones in his body. You looked towards the source of the attack to see Vader standing with his hand outstretched in the direction of the Inquisitor. Han Solo was firing shots from the other end of the alley.

Varlo hissed, as he pushed Solo into the wall and sent some crates his way pinning the man down. 

“Solo,” you screamed as you tried to run to the man but was stopped by the lit lightsaber thrown your way. You barely had time to avoid it as it flew past your head and then back into the outstretched hand of Varlo.

“Who the hell are you?” he hissed, addressing the hooded figure of Darth Vader.

Vader did not respond, instead directing his Force abilities towards Varlo as he tried to grasp the Inquisitor in the Force choke. The man anticipated that as he used his own Force to push against Vader’s, struggling in the unseen battle between the two Force users. 

Vader would have overpowered Varlo if it wasn’t for Zen One lunging at him with his own aggressive attack, almost succeeding in slashing Vader’s chest with his lightsaber. Vader was quick, much faster than you’ve ever seen him, you realized it was most likely due to his movements being no longer restricted by the heavy suit he used to wear, as Vader pushed himself off the ground in a graceful leap and avoided the deadly attack. Zen One continued his pursuits as did Varlo and you took the chance to sprint past them towards Solo who was trying to get out of the rubble. 

You managed to get halfway to him when you heard it. The sound of a buzzing blade behind you and your reflexes made you jump out of the way until you realized too late the true target of the attack. One of Varlo’s lightsabers was thrown towards the direction of where Solo was finally getting up but not paying any attention to the twirling red blade in the air approaching at faster speed than Solo was able to dodge. 

Your eyes widened, your body frozen in slow motion as you realized that Solo was going to die. The only person that truly mattered to General Organa, that kept her happy and safe was going to die here because of you. You could already see the pained look in her brown eyes, the heartache of her emotions slamming against your mental shields drowning you in her sorrows. You would not let that happen. Damn your promise of never raising the blade again. Damn your inner struggles and your personal selfish reasons for not wanting to fight the enemy. You just found the reason to fight back. To protect those that mattered to you the most. 

An inhuman growl escaped your throat as you lunged yourself towards Solo, Force pushing yourself off the ground and leaping over in the air as you grabbed the handle of the lightsaber in your hand. You barely had time to land as you twirled your body towards the two Inquisitors still in struggle with Vader who was managing to keep off the attacks, and you lunged with incredible speed towards Varlo.

He saw you approaching mere seconds before his own blade you were holding almost decapitated him as he fend off the attack with his second lightsaber. You dropped down low, your most favorite position and deadliest attack as you reversed the lightsaber in your grip and slashed at the feet of the Inquisitor. You would have followed with the higher attack had you had your second lightsaber. 

Varlo knew how you fought, knew your attack patterns by heart, as you two were once considered the best students and Inquisitors in battle, often paired together due to both of you wielding two lightsabers. And as such he was able to dodge your attack, side stepping off to the side. He raised his own blade above your head ready to strike but you were faster and much smaller than him so you lunged to the side and then turned your body to slash at his midsection. You were once again stopped by his own blade. 

“You are  _ weak _ ,” Varlo hissed, looking down at you as you gritted your teeth trying to hold off his strength against your own. 

You knew he was right. The years that you spent hiding your Force abilities and refusing to fight had an adverse effect of how you fought now. Your body was still lean and athletic, thanks to the active missions you sought for the Rebellion. But your skills in lightsaber fighting were rusty and your Force-intuitive skills needed to be resharpened due to the years of neglect. You had a long way to go if you were to go back in shape to what you used to be before you left the Empire. But right now none of it mattered. The only thing that mattered now was to win.

You growled in response as you deflected another attack and then jumped up in the air and over Varlo’s head to land next to Vader who was still keeping Zen One at bay with his Force holds. 

_ Any idea of what we should do? _ You asked Vader through your mental link with him. It was getting a lot easier to talk to him this way since the last time you’ve done so. Perhaps it was merely the fact that you weren’t trying so hard to ignore the Force.

_ Continue distracting the one you call Varlo,  _ Vader responded.  _ I will force the other one closer to you. When the opportunity arises do  _ not _ hesitate to kill him.  _

You knew what Vader was implying by not outright saying it. Your previous hesitation of killing someone with the lightsaber. But right now you barely had any choice as both Inquisitors lunged where you and Vader were standing so you both dodged their attacks by jumping in different directions. You had to kill in order to protect. You gritted your teeth as you tightly squeezed the handle of the lightsaber. 

You continued to attack and dodge Varlo’s attacks that were becoming more vicious with each strike of his blade against yours. Your focus was entirely on the man in front of you and his red blade dancing in front of your eyes. You were able to sidestep the Inquisitor again as you lunged to the side in the exact moment when Vader overpowered Zen One and kicked him your way. The Inquisitor’s back was wide open to your strike as you plunged the blade into it without any hesitation. The Inquisitor was dead before he hit the ground.

Vader saw the opportunity and acquired the Inquisitor’s weapon as it was torn out of the man’s dead grip and lunged your way just in time to block Varlo’s attack that would have cost your life. You supported Vader in your attacks as both of you continued to fight the Inquisitor gaining the upper hand with Vader’s vicious strikes and expertise in wielding the weapon. Soon the Inquisitor was overpowered as Vader severed the man’s hand that was holding the weapon. Varlo grunted in pain and collapsed on the ground. You quickly picked up the dropped weapon not wanting to give Varlo an opportunity to fight with his other hand. 

“Vader, don’t kill him,” the words left your mouth as Vader brought the red blade against the man’s throat.

“Vader?” Varlo’s shock was evident on the Inquisitor’s face as the helmet was torn off the man’s head revealing the face that you remembered. Varlo was half human, with pale skin, sharp teeth and black eyes that were glaring at you with hate. 

“After the fact that you just now revealed my name to the enemy,” Vader responded, not bothering to turn your way as he held the blade close to the Inquisitor’s throat. “He will die.”

You cursed yourself at your slip of the tongue at mentioning Vader’s name. You’d have to figure out what to call him later. Right now you had to convince Vader to let Varlo live. 

“He knows the information we need,” you continued. “We can use him in finding out more about Crimson Dawn and Thrawn’s plans.”

“Like I’d tell you anything,” Varlo hissed.

“You are not the first one to sound so confident and brave,” Vader replied, danger creeping out of his steeled voice. “They all failed. You  _ will _ tell me everything I need to know.”

You turned at the sound of blaster shots nearby. You weren’t that far off from the main streets and you definitely did not want to be caught by the Imperials while you had an opportunity to acquire some information. 

“We need to get out of here,” you told Vader.

Solo was coming up behind you and you noticed some bruises starting to appear on his face from the Inquisitor’s attack from earlier. It would heal with some bacta patches, at least the man was alive you thought in relief. 

“Then get to your ship,” Vader responded. “I will deal with the Inquisitor myself.”

You were about to argue until Vader sharply turned his hooded head your way and nearly growled. “Do not fight me on this one.  _ Go _ .”

You were slightly startled from the viciousness in his voice but decided to comply and nodded your head. You took off in the opposite direction with Solo right behind you. You had to get to the  _ Millennium Falcon _ before Dryce Val’s men got to it first. Although you highly suspected that the ship had already been found and secured. It looked like Crimson Dawn was a powerful enough criminal organization to control Imperial stormtroopers under its command. 

You were right about your hunch when you finally arrived at the outskirt of Motok to the landing bay to find it swarmed with stormtroopers and Imperial convoys with one of the Walkers nearby securing the area. 

“Well, kriff, now what?” hissed Solo next to you while you were hiding behind some Imperial cargo. 

You considered your options for a moment. You could cause some distraction while Solo snuck on his ship. But it would have to be hella good type of distraction. You looked around the adjacent buildings and where the Walker was. You narrowed your eyes. It would be a long jump but you were certain you could make it on top of the Walker from one of the taller buildings. 

“Wait for my signal,” you told Solo as you started to approach one of the building’s walls and scaled it up easily using the enhanced Force jump. You swiftly jumped from building to building until you reached the point where you’d jump. It was now or never. 

You backed up a few steps and then sprinted full speed until you made the jump and landed perfectly on top of the Walker. Not wasting any precious seconds you opened the top hatch and snuck in, knocked down two Imperial soldiers and manned the controls of the vehicle. You immediately started firing the laser guns at the convoys and the stormtroopers. This was the signal you told Solo about as you saw him running behind the commotion towards his ship.

Your victory was short-lived as the Imperial army started shooting back, some of the convoys having enhanced weaponry systems and cannons which were now entirely focused on the Walker. You just had to last a little longer for Solo to get the ship into the air. Then you could jump on the ship from where you were. 

A powerful enough blast hit the front of the Walker damaging the controls and the vehicle started falling down. You barely managed to get out of it before it completely crashed on the ground. More blaster bolts were now shooting your ways and you ignited both lightsabers fending off the attacks. You were overwhelmed by the numbers of stormtroopers closing in on you, trapping you in when you realized you were surrounded from all sides. You continued dodging and deflecting bolts as  _ Millennium Falcon _ finally took off from the landing bay and circled around to start firing at the stormtroopers around you. 

You thought you finally had the chance to escape, getting ready to jump when one of the bolts hit one of your sides and you cried out in surprise mixed with pain. 

“Don’t kill her,” one of them said as stormtroopers continued advancing on you. 

The last thing you remembered was getting hit by a stun gun and then everything went black. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I loved writing this chapter as our heroine finally manages to overcome her internal struggles and fight for herself and others wielding the lightsabers :) She's still got a long way to go though.


	18. Mesmerized.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I enjoyed writing this chapter so much. I think you'll enjoy this as well :)  
> We finally get to see Vader's face and there's some fluff here as well.

You woke up with a gasp, your mind groggy and your head hurting like you were hit by a bantha herd. You tried to get your bearings as you squinted in the dark, trying to figure out where you were and how you ended up here. 

_ Oh right. I was stunned. _

The thought did little to settle your growing anxiety. You glanced around yourself, noticing that your hands were tied and you were strapped to a chair. Your weapons, along with the lightsabers taken from Varlo were gone. Your head snapped to the sound of steps coming your way and then your eyes were blinded by a bright light as someone turned on the lights in the room.

“Awake, finally.”

You recognized the voice to be of Dryce Val. Great, you were back at Crimson Dawn’s hideout and with the man that orchestrated the attempt at trying to kill you and Solo. Except it didn’t go the way he planned it would. Well neither did your plan, as you were now defenseless and powerless strapped to a chair and tied up, glaring at the man in front of you.

“You have caused quite a trouble for me,” Val continued as he circled you. A blade glinted in the artificial light of the room, strapped to Val’s belt. He noticed your gaze and smirked.

“What have you done with my Inquisitors?” Val continued his interrogation, finally stopping in front of you and roughly grabbing your chip to lift your face to his.

“What do you think?” you replied, trying to sound smug. “It seems your Inquisitors were no match for us. You place too much faith in them, no wonder you are stuck on this backwashed planet and not at the side of your leader. Tells a lot of your value to Crimson Dawn.”

Perhaps you shouldn’t have taunted the man when you saw something feral crossing his face. The next thing you knew, Val raised his hand and slapped you across the face with enough force to split your lip and leave a bruise on your cheek. 

“You  _ bitch _ ,” Val hissed, once again grabbing your chip roughly and you winced when his fingers touched the spot where he just hit you. You tasted your own blood in your mouth. 

“You will tell me  _ everything _ . I won’t take a no for an answer and certainly not your snarky attitude. You have nowhere to run, no one to save you. Solo was seen leaving the planet as soon as you were stunned. You are  _ alone _ .”

You decided not to reply to that, instead continuing to glare at the man in front of you. At least Solo was able to escape, you thought in relief. 

Val grabbed the blade you saw earlier with his other hand and pressed it against your throat, pushing the sharp blade enough into your soft skin to draw a trickle of blood. You hissed at the discomfort still refusing to say anything.

“I think I can find a way to make you talk,” Val continued, madly grinning at you. “But you won’t like it as much as I would.”

You prepared for the onslaught of his attack when the door to the room opened and Val turned enough of his body for you to see who had just come in the room. Your eyes widened.

_ What the hell? Impossible.  _

There stood Varlo in his armor, helmet covering his face, completely unharmed. Where was Vader? What happened?

Your eyes scanned his body and then you frowned. This wasn’t Varlo. The hand that Vader cut off was still there and the man seemed much bigger, broader and taller, the armor stretched around his body. You frowned. If this wasn’t Varlo then who the hell was it?

“There you are,” Val exclaimed, finally letting go of your chin, tucking his blade back on his belt. “I was beginning to wonder if this bitch was actually telling the truth about you being dead. Where’s the other one?”

The man posing to be Varlo did not reply and you had a distinct impression that his gaze was on your face and the damage done to it. In a blink of an eye the man ignited the lightsaber and stabbed Val before he was able to utter any more words. Val’s unseen dead eyes were staring back at you with his mouth propped open in shock when he fell on the floor, dead. 

The man clipped the weapon back on his belt and approached you, quickly untying your bonds. You hissed at the sight of raw cuts on your wrists from where the ropes were digging too much into your arms. You’d deal with this later. 

You were startled when the man gently touched your face, near your split lip, wiping away some of the blood. You were about to smack his hand away when he spoke with a voice that sounded very much like Vader’s.

“Are you hurt anywhere else?”

“I...no...what...who....” you stumbled with your words looking up at the mask of the Inquisitor. You were pretty sure this was Vader. But if he was here then…

“You killed Varlo, didn’t you?”

“Yes,” Vader replied. “As well as the rest of the scum in this place.”

You stared at Vader with your mouth open. 

“You  _ what _ ?!” you groaned, resisting to roll your eyes. “Vader, what about a lead? You just killed the leader of this cell, now we have no lead, no survivors, nothing.”

“What makes you think I haven’t gotten what we needed?” he replied, crossing arms across his chest.

You narrowed your eyes at him. “Okay, start talking.”

“Bossy little thing aren’t you?” Vader replied with a hint of a huskiness in his voice as he once again neared you, bringing his head closer to your face. You stumbled at the nearness of him, your face heating up despite your growing unease in this situation. What the hell was Vader up to?

He seemed to sense your unease as he stood to his full height, rounding up and walking towards the exit. “Let’s go.”

You growled at his commanding voice but followed him regardless. He seemed to know this place better than you did. The sight of his volatile tendencies were all over the place as you continued walking, bodies of bounty hunters, assassins and guards littering the place. He surely had outdone himself this time. You walked past one room when you noticed your weapons sitting on the counter, along with lightsabers and the clocking device disguised as a ring. You grabbed your blaster and the ring, halting at the sight of the lightsabers. Your eyes widened. 

You recognized the handles of the blades, slightly modified, but still recognizable enough. These were your own blades back when you were still an Inquisitor. Varlo must have found them after the heat of the massacre and tended to them, making them as his own. You picked one up, looking at it, twirling in your hands. The memories of him flooded your mind and you felt an overwhelming sadness and guilt at what happened between the two of you and his unfortunate death by Vader’s hand.

“What is it?” Vader’s voice cut through your musings, standing at the entrance of the room. 

“These were ones mine…” you quietly responded, still looking at them. You didn’t recognize them during the heat of the battle and now you wished you had so you could have asked Varlo what it all meant.

“Then take them,” Vader responded. “We must get moving. We don’t have much time until the Imperial army hears of what happened here and comes searching. There could be a possibility of a blockade. I would like to get off this planet before that happens.”

Vader was right. You nodded at his words, grabbing both lightsabers and clipping them on your belt as you followed Vader out. You were starting to get curious about what Vader learned from Varlo when you both stopped in front of a room you were in earlier discussing your plans with Val before it all went to hell. 

Vader stepped in, approaching the table off to the side of the extravagant room while you continued standing at the entrance. You watched as Vader looked through the many datapads and disks on the table, searching for something. Finally he activated a hologram and an unfamiliar hooded figure was lit up in the center of the room, only half of the body illuminated. You realized this was not a live holo transmission but a recording and your interest piqued. You stepped inside the room and approached the figure, turning to finally look at his face.

You didn’t recognize him at all. A Dathomirian Zabrak male was staring at you, with yellow eyes rimmed by red circles, his skin red with black tattoos covering his face and horns adorning the top of his head.

“This is a delicate procedure,” the figure hissed, his voice quiet with a hint of malice. “I trust you understand the repercussions should you fail me.”

“Who is that?” you asked out loud, glancing back at Vader.

“The leader of Crimson Dawn,” Vader replied, his stance hostile as you felt something rolling off of him in waves. You felt anger and hate directed at the man.

“You know him,” it was a statement not a question.

“Yes. I fought him once.”

You raised your eyebrow at that. If he fought Vader then how come he was still alive? Usually whoever fought Vader would end up dead. 

“It appears he survived our duel,” Vader said, catching in on your stray thought. 

“Who is he?” you asked, turning back to look at the face of the man under the hood. You didn’t like the look in his eyes, his  _ Sith _ eyes. Your eyes widened. 

“Darth Maul. Once an apprentice to Darth Sidious.”

“A Sith?!” you exclaimed, rounding up on Vader again. 

“Yes,” Vader ground out, sounding annoyed with you. “And now our problems got a whole lot more complicated.”

He turned off the hologram, readying to leave the room. He turned around to face you, “You will head back to your Rebellion, inform of what you’ve learned here.”

“And you?” you asked, not liking these turn of events. You did not want Vader to disappear again.

“I must deal with Maul myself.”

Vader was about to leave the room when you sprinted towards him, grabbing his arm. He stopped dead in his tracks, swirling his head to look at you. You didn’t have to see his eyes to know he was glaring at you, displeased at your bold touch. 

“I don’t think that’s a smart idea,” you slowly started, still holding on to him. “We are dealing with another Sith Lord, the one you seem to know well while the Rebellion knows nothing of. Don’t you think it’d be best for them to hear this information from your own mouth?”

“No. It won’t.” 

Vader tugged on his arm but you held him with a death grip, now glaring at Vader’s mask. 

“You are being unreasonable. Again.” You felt warning in the Force around you, Vader was starting to lose patience with you, yet you continued. 

“Vader, rushing in head on will do you no good. You don’t even know where this Maul is. And if he is working with Thrawn we have to be extra cautious.”

“I have my speculations of where Maul is,” Vader retorted, not at all convinced by anything you were saying. 

You sighed. “That’s not the point I’m trying to make. What I’m saying is we need to work  _ together _ .”

You were unable to read anything from Vader’s body language or even his face since it was hidden. So what aggravated you the most was when Vader with a finality in his voice said, “No.”

You were left alone in the room when Vader finally left, fuming in your own anger and aggravation at how difficult Vader was being. It seemed when Vader set something in his mind it was difficult to try and change him. You were going to have to try harder.

You followed him out, finding him out the back exit impatiently waiting for you. He barely glanced your way when he started heading out, leading you through the back alleys to avoid the Imperial army. 

“Care to tell me where we are headed?” you finally asked, sounding very annoyed but you hardly cared.

“To get you off this planet,” he replied, still refusing to look at you.

“Oh, pray and tell me how you’re going to do that when I don’t even have a ship. I arrived here with Solo,” you said with exasperation, this time rolling your eyes since Vader couldn’t see you. 

Vader stopped in his tracks. “E chu ta!”

You frowned at the unfamiliar language. “Okay, what does that even mean?”

He rounded on you and you almost jumped out the way when he approached you, the Force swirling in warning. 

“Why is it that everytime you are on a mission and I’m involved you are left with no  _ ship _ ?” Vader hissed, practically growling as he towered over your small form.

“Well, maybe it’s because the key word here is that you’re  _ involved _ ,” you shrugged, not backing down from the argument. Vader could sometimes act like a spoiled child who had not gotten his way. And perhaps Vader heard that too when his whole demeanor changed and he looked and felt like the Sith Lord he was, minus his legendary suit. 

“You are lucky you work under Organa,” Vader hissed. “I would not be so tolerant with you otherwise.”

You were about to retort when Vader continued, “Now  _ shut up _ and follow me. And don’t try to talk if you value your life. I do not have patience to deal with a youngling.”

You were insulted by his comment, fuming in silence but decided to bite your tongue and hold in a nasty remark. Something told you Vader was serious. He rounded on his heels once again and practically stalked out of the alley you were in so you had to run to catch up to him. The rest of your journey was spent in silence, you glaring at his back and trying to not look like you were jogging just to match his large footsteps. 

You finally arrived at what looked like an abandoned hangar and there you saw a light freighter big enough to fit a few people. This must have been the ship Vader arrived in. Vader approached it and activated the controls, all the while you were standing off to the side and watching him.

“Get in,” Vader finally broke the uncomfortable silence after he exited the ship. 

You had a sudden strong urge to tear off the damn mask and hit him across the face at his tone of voice. Instead you stood with your arms crossed across the chest, glaring at him. 

“I’m not repeating myself,” Vader continued. “I can use the Force and  _ make _ you get on that ship, whether you like it or not.”

You were about to respond when you heard a pounding on one of the metal doors of the hangar, followed by an explosion. Vader was quick enough to block the debri and heat of the attack from both of you with the use of his Force shield. After enough smoke cleared you saw several stormtroopers and a convoy outside the building, getting ready to fire. The Imperial army found you.

“Kriff,” both you and Vader simultaneously said and then you rushed inside the ship, Vader right behind you. There was only one seat to pilot the ship, so Vader took it while you strapped yourself to the seat off to the side on the bench as the ship lurched to the skies, in the process taking some of the hit from down below. 

Vader wasted no time getting off the planet, just in time as an Imperial Star Destroyer appeared out of hyperspace, followed by another one. He hit the hyperspace just as TIE fighters started coming your way. That was too close, you thought in relief when everything became quiet once again. 

“I will drop you off at your base,” Vader informed you after a moment. “I will need the coordinates to your Rebel base location once we make a second jump.”

You stayed quiet, chewing on your lip. Somehow you didn’t like the idea of Vader knowing where the Rebel Alliance’s new base was even if he was willingly trying to help the Rebellion. Vader caught on your hesitation.

“Is there a problem with that?” he turned around to face you.

“Actually, there is,” you replied, avoiding to look at him. You weren’t sure how he would take to your new plan. He was already agitated enough. 

“I’m waiting,” Vader said after a moment of silence had passed. He was growing impatient once again. 

“You aren’t going to like it,” you replied.

“Try me.”

You sighed, finally turning to look at Vader. “I need to blindfold you.”

“You... _ what _ ?”

Was that shock you heard in his voice? You managed to surprise him, even though the thought pleased you less than you thought it would. 

“I can’t let you know where the base is,” you continued, keeping a close eye on Vader’s movements. 

“And why is that?” Vader practically growled, taunting you. “You don’t trust me? You think I’ll wipe the whole base down, like your Generals thought all those years ago?”

You slowly exhaled. “Honestly, no. I don’t trust you.”

You were quiet for a moment, collecting your thoughts. “Leia Organa trusts you, although it’s still hard to understand why. She mentioned your son, Luke and how he trusted you as well.”

You were watching Vader for any signs he would pounce, consumed by anger and hate at your words and mentioning the now dead Luke Skywalker. But Vader stayed quiet.

“So perhaps you could show me,” you continued quietly. “That I can trust you too.”

“I owe you  _ nothing _ ,” Vader hissed, rising from the seat. You were quick on your own feet, rising to meet him at this challenge. 

“You must be forgetting it was  _ I _ who saved your life after we barely got off Mustafar. Your life support failed, remember?”

You were now fuming, clenching your teeth and glaring at Vader, barely holding yourself together. Vader was an ungrateful bastard. One less point for him to gain your favor and trust.

“After  _ I _ saved yours,” Vader didn’t hesitate to comment. “In fact, if I remember correctly, I saved yours  _ three _ times.”

“Ugh, what the hell are you talking about?”

“Need me to remind you?” Vader drawled, raising his hand to count off the list. “One was on Mustafar from the Grand Inquisitor. Two, from the Inquisitors on the street. Three, from the scum of Crimson Dawn. I should perhaps consider counting the time on Tatooine as well all things considered.”

“You are impossible!” you snapped.

“And yet you still don’t trust me,” Vader continued unfazed by your anger and frustration directed at him. 

You would have stalked off somewhere to cool down but alas, the ship was small and the only common area was where you and Vader were currently glaring at each other. You had nowhere to go. 

“I made my point,” you finally hissed through your tightly clenched teeth.

“Which is?”

“I am not giving you the coordinates of the base, unless you are blindfolded and I’m piloting the ship.”

“That is  _ not _ happening,” Vader replied as he towered over you.

“Well it looks like we are at an impasse.”

You continued to stare at each other, your neck starting to cramp from trying to look at the face behind the mask but you weren’t going to back down. 

“You are the most infuriating woman I have ever had the displeasure of knowing,” Vader finally replied after long minutes of silence.

“Oh, so now I’m a woman. I thought I was a  _ youngling _ ?” You were still quite furious at his earlier comment.

“Force hopa je,” Vader groaned and you were left feeling even more agitated by not understanding what it was Vader was saying. It sounded very much Huttese but you were not familiar with the language. 

You were startled when Vader’s hand reached up and pulled the helmet off his face and you were left staring at the face you hardly recognized from the one you saw back on the shuttle leaving Mustafar. His skin was still pale but by comparison it looked much healthier than the ghostly white you saw under his mask the last time. There was a thin trace of a scar on his left cheek from the deep gash you knew used to be there and one that ran across his right eye, barely noticeable. The burn scars were also barely noticeable, more pronounced around his ears and neck, but it seemed like the skin grafts Organa mentioned to you back on Taris did a pretty good job at concealing them. You noticed a short hairline on the top of his head and you realized that you were right about his hair color, it was dirty blond, almost brown at the roots. 

His eyes were the last thing your brain tried to take in, and you were immediately mesmerized and frozen on the spot by the intensity of his gaze. His eyes were blue with specks of gold in them, not quite the Sith eyes you imagined he would have. You were drawn to them, like looking at the stormy ocean with lightning streaking its surface. You didn’t even realize how close your face was to his, your body subconsciously nearing him until he puffed air in your face and smirked at the look of surprise and embarrassment crossing your face.

“Enjoying the view?”

You immediately backed down, your face flushed from the heat you felt on your cheeks. You cleared your throat, looking anywhere but him. 

“I will let you pilot the ship, but I will not be blindfolded,” Vader finally said after you refused to say anything to him. 

You turned to look at him, ready to argue again. Vader beat you to it, “I will not look, you have my word for it. I will say no more on this matter.”

“Fine,” you ground out, ready to get this awkward and tense flight over with. You didn’t think you’d be able to stand any more minute in the presence of a snarky Sith Lord. 

You went around him and sat down in the pilot’s seat, your mind refusing to let go of the embarrassing moment of you getting so close to Vader. What the hell was wrong with you? You groaned under your breath, unaware that Vader was still watching you with a smirk on his face. You only hoped that the rest of the trip would go uneventful and in silence. You didn’t think you could talk to Vader lest look at him the same way as before. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *E chu ta! just means some form of an insult not quite translatable.  
> **Force hopa je means Force help me.  
> And yes, I'm excited to finally reveal the leader of Crimson Dawn, Darth Maul. As I've mentioned earlier, I'm not following the Rebel story line so in this timeline he is still alive.


	19. To the rescue.

You just landed the ship in the hangar when you noticed with an apprehension that you did not see the _Millennium Falcon_ in its usual spot. What was also worrisome was the approach of Chancellor Mon Mothma and Leia Organa to your ship. You hastily got up and approached Vader, whose eyes were closed and he appeared to be in a sleep.

“I was not asleep, I was meditating,” said Vader as he opened his eyes and you gasped in surprise to see they were completely blue, the specks of gold in them gone. 

“What is it?” he asked, noticing or perhaps feeling the worry radiating off of you. 

“Okay, don’t freak out but we’ve got company,” you said.

“I assumed so since we are now in the clutches of your Rebellion,” Vader replied, sounding way too relaxed for your liking.

You frowned at his choice of words. “It’s your Rebellion too you know.” 

You decided to ignore the dirty look Vader sent your way. He appeared to really hate when you reminded him that he also worked for the Rebellion. Old habits die hard. 

You placed your hands on your hips and sighed. “But that’s not what I meant. Mon Mothma and Organa are approaching the ship as we speak.”

Vader’s eyes flashed with unknown emotion but it was quickly gone. “Then I suppose you should go and greet them before they decide to make their way onto _my_ ship.”

You gave Vader the look but decided to not respond as you stepped out of the ship in time for both women to stop next you. You had to keep them off the ship in hopes to keep Vader’s presence unknown. He was planning on leaving as soon as he dropped you off. 

“Commander [Y/N],” Mon Mothma addressed you as she looked you up and down, her gaze flickering to the lightsabers clipped on your belt and then back to your face with a questioning look in her eyes. “I’m surprised to see you here considering what happened to Captain Solo.”

“Wait, what?” you asked, sounding surprised. You turned to look at Organa.

“We’ve got a transmission from him moments before he was taken aboard a Star Destroyer,” Leia started, trying to sound calm. “He never mentioned you and we assumed you both were captured.”

Your eyes widened at that. 

“You weren’t aware of that,” Mothma said.

“No, I wasn’t,” you started, still trying to process the information. “We got separated and I was captured while he got away and then…” you trailed off, shaking your head.

“We are currently devising a rescue team,” Leia started, her gaze flickering to Mon Mothma. Something passed between the two women that you weren’t privy of. 

“We suspect Thrawn has him in his clutches,” continued Mon Mothma. “And if that’s the case the retrieval would be almost impossible if not suicidal.”

“That is not for you to decide,” Leia almost yelled, her composure failing as the pain flashed in her eyes.

“Leia, you are no longer part of the High Command, your opinion does not matter in this case,” Mothma said sternly, looking down at the other woman.

“How can you say that?” Leia shrieked and a few heads turned around to look at her but she ignored them. “Han has done more for this Rebellion than any of us. He is part of _us_. We have to rescue him.”

You were stunned at the raw display of emotions on Organa’s face. This is what you were afraid to see if Solo had died back on Motok. But you still failed to protect him and now he was captured and probably already tortured for information. You were about to speak when another voice interrupted you from behind.

“I suggest we talk this through, _Chancellor_.”

You gasped to hear Vader’s voice and so did Mon Mothma who turned a few shades of grey and Leia who stood gaping at her father.

“General Skywalker,” Mothma finally said, finding her voice after the initial shock wore off. “I’m astonished to see you alive.”

You quirked your head at the title Mon Mothma used to address the man. So Vader used to have the same last name as Luke Skywalker. You turned around to see him standing with his hands crossed over his chest, his expression serious and his eyes glaring at Chancellor. 

“That is not the name I would have chosen to address me,” Vader started and your eyes widened.

_Vader,_ don’t. _No one here knows you’re alive. Don’t you dare make this situation any more troublesome than it already is._

You almost growled out loud, spending all your concentration on sending these thoughts to Vader through your mental link. His gaze flickered your way and he scowled. He had heard you but he was less than happy with you or the way you addressed him. You hardly cared. This wasn’t just about him, this was about you and Leia Organa and your status within the Rebellion. 

“I’m afraid I don’t understand,” Mon Mothma replied, furrowing her eyebrows. 

“I think what _General Skywalker_ is trying to say is,” Leia stepped in, regaining her composure. “Is that he would like to hide his identity from certain individuals. We still don’t know who is the traitor within our ranks.”

Vader’s gaze landed on Leia and his glare softened. You raised your eyebrow at his subtle display of affection towards the young woman.

“Very well,” Mon Mothma conceded, still watching Vader with a questioning look in her eyes. “I suppose we can skip the formalities then and get down to our present issue.”

“Yes, that would be wise,” Vader replied, returning his scowl at the Chancellor. 

“We will proceed with the meeting immediately,” Mothma announced and then turned on her heel to head back towards the command center.

Both you and Organa hesitated and turned to look at Vader who was now watching Leia. 

“We will discuss this later,” she announced and followed the Chancellor. 

You waited until Vader followed both women, you trailing behind him to keep an eye on him. The idea of him being here inside the Rebel base was unsettling to you. You saw plenty of glances directed at him and his choice of Imperial clothing, not to mention the lightsaber that he still possessed from the Inquisitor he killed. You didn’t think the High Command would take kindly to him having a weapon.

_You are the one to talk. You have two clipped to your belt._

You bristled at his remark and unclipped the weapons, hiding them in the inside pockets of your jacket. You silently asked Vader to give you his. He turned his gaze to look at you, the coldness in his eyes piercing you but you refused to look away. He unclipped the weapon and handed it to you just in time as you both stepped inside the command room where the majority of the Generals and high rank officials were already gathered and seated at the table.

The presence of Vader in the room stopped the chatter and everyone’s gaze was directed at him. Mon Mothma was the first to break the silence.

“Everyone, we have an unexpected guest here with us today. An old _friend_ from the Clone Wars, the identity of whom I can not currently reveal due to security reasons.”

“He’s an Inquisitor!” someone shouted from the back and several others had hummed in agreement. The tension in the room could be cut with a knife. 

“Let me explain,” you stepped in, preparing for your debriefing. 

You waited until most had calmed down, the chatter dying down before you proceeded with your debriefing. You had mentioned what you and Solo learned from your contact about Crimson Dawn and your accidental meeting with Vader, who was also working under a covert mission from the Rebel Alliance. You told them of your reckless attempt at infiltrating the cell located on Motok and your ambush by two Inquisitors. You obscured the truth about how you managed to kill them and how you and Solo got separated after you were stunned by the stormtroopers. You told them that you were captured and that Vader came to your rescue, already wearing an Inquisitor’s armor, managing to kill the leader of the cell. You stopped at the part about learning of the existence of Darth Maul as you glanced back at Vader to see if he would continue with the debriefing. He simply raised his eyebrow at you and you stared back at him unamused. 

Finally Vader moved after what felt like minutes of silence as he practically rolled his eyes at you. You clenched your teeth and sent a nasty remark his way through your link. You received a dry amusement rolling off of Vader in return. 

“It appears an old enemy of the _Jedi_ had survived,” Vader started and you could practically feel everyone stop breathing in the room at that announcement. Vader surely liked to be dramatic.

“His name is Darth Maul, a leader of Crimson Dawn, and a Sith Lord,” Vader continued. “He once used to be an apprentice to Darth Sidious, or what you all knew him as Emperor Palpatine, long before the appearance of his other apprentice, _Darth Vader_.”

You sent Vader another dirty look. He was playing with fire and was testing your patience. You wanted to wring his neck here and now. 

“And it seems Maul is now working with Thrawn and is in control of the Inquisitor’s force. Another foe to your Rebellion.”

Murmur spread around the room, which soon turned into outright yelling, as everyone jumped on their feet and screamed over one another.

“Silence!” Mon Mothma finally yelled, managing to silence everyone in the room. “How dangerous is this Sith you are talking about?”

Vader’s eyes glinted in the light of the room. “I would consider all Sith to be dangerous. But if I were to choose who would win in the battle, it would not be him.”

“You mean you can beat him?” Mothma did not miss the unspoken message Vader was implying without outright saying it. She knew something you didn’t. There was a history between the two that went as far back as the Clone Wars. 

“If given the chance, perhaps,” Vader drawled. “But it would depend on what your Rebellion decides.”

You watched the faces of Generals in the room, their confusion permeating the air. They also were not quite aware of what was going on between the Chancellor and Vader. The tension between the two was interrupted by Leia Organa.

“What about Han? We haven’t decided on the rescue operation.”

“Leia, you are asking the Rebellion to send more soldiers to their death for one men,” Mothma started, looking at Leia. “For one, we don’t even know the exact location of Captain Solo. And two, with the information of the new and deadlier Star Destroyers we cannot risk to lose more of our forces. I’m afraid we cannot approve this mission.”

You watched in silence as Organa’s face fell, her hurt and sorrow crashing against your shields, until her face morphed into anger. 

“Han would have risked his life for you, for all of you,” she raised her voice, glaring at each face looking back at her. “He saved me when I was kidnapped and tortured on the Death Star, knowing full well that the mission was reckless and with a high chance of him dying. Yet he still went and did it. And now you’re all abandoning him, the man that did impossible things for the Rebellion, with your tails behind your legs because you are scared of one man. I thought the Rebellion was better than this.”

She finished her heated speech, sweeping her gaze across the room and landing it on Vader. The glaze in her eyes from unshed tears glistened from the lights in the room yet she refused to let them fall. When no one responded she huffed and walked out the room, slamming the door behind her.

Vader crossed his arms across the chest, spikes of anger permeating from him. Mon Mothma looked away, hiding her guilt. The room was silent as everyone shifted in their seats.

“I’m afraid we’d have to cut this meeting short,” announced Mothma as she regained her composure. “You are all dismissed.”

Everyone was eager to get out of the room, silent on their way out. You made your way towards the Chancellor, your mind set on what you were about to say.

“With all due respect, Chancellor,” you started not even caring that there were still people in the room. “My team is the best at our missions, we’ve pulled some of the impossible ones in the past. Allow me to retrieve Solo.”

Mothma looked at you, her gaze hard. “And how do you plan to get past the security? To get past the stormtroopers and the Inquisitors?”

“I have a plan,” you simply said. You weren’t going to lay all your cards out at once.

“And does that plan of yours have something to do with the lightsabers I saw earlier?”

You narrowed your eyes. The Chancellor was very intuitive. “Perhaps.”

“I’m sorry Commander, but I cannot allow your team to proceed. Your members of the team are the best at what they do. I would hate to lose them.”

“Is that an order, Chancellor?”

“Yes, it is.”

You gritted your teeth but refused to say anything else. You turned on your heels and marched out of the room, ignoring the fact that Vader stayed in the room. You hardly cared what he would do next, your mind was preoccupied with other things.

You exited the meeting room, heading towards the main barracks. You didn’t have to search for long to spot the members of your team huddled together, arguing over something. They all stopped when they noticed you approaching. 

“Commander,” said Gil in greeting as he nodded his head.

“Let’s go somewhere more private,” you announced and led them all to a secluded area of the caverns, away from prying eyes and ears.

“What’s going on, Commander?” asked Tryon when he noticed your grim expression. 

“I need to ask something of you that would go against the direct orders of the High Command,” you started, looking over each of their faces.

“Does this have anything to do with Capt’n Solo?” asked Gavid, leaning against one of the cavern walls.

“Yes,” you nodded. “We are going on a rescue mission to save him.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I wanted to add a couple of things. First, I apologize this is a shorter chapter, I promise I'll make it up to you with the longer chapters up ahead. There would be a lot of action coming up :)
> 
> Second, in terms of addressing Leia Organa I sometimes have a hard time typing just her first name. That's because this story is told from a second person point of view and as such to the reader Leia Organa is first and foremost a General. So now that she was stripped from the title it's awkward to just call her Leia. 
> 
> Third, don't assume that the Rebellion would drop everything and go rescue Han Solo. I can imagine Mothma saying something like that in canon, she won't risk more men for just one of them. That's kind of a similar concept from the Star Wars Rebels when Hera first decided not to go after Kanan at the end of the first season which actually greatly surprised me. 
> 
> And fourth, I loved writing the interaction between Vader and Mothma. He is so cocky, his Anakin was practically leaking out of him during this whole show down between the two of them.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed it!


	20. A guardian.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, as promised, a longer chapter with many feels in it. I couldn't wait to post it so soon especially since I'll be starting work tomorrow and that'll hinder my writing progress.
> 
> I don't know if what I wrote is accurate about the Force and kyber crystals but this is my story and I guess I can make whatever I want real, right?
> 
> Enjoy <3

You arrived back to your small living space, preparing to pack for the mission. You spent the last few hours planning and devising plan after plan with your team. You sighed with relief when they all agreed to help. You would no doubt get in a lot of trouble with the High Command if you actually survived this. 

You took off your jacket and paused when the weight of the lightsabers reminded you you still had them. You took out your old blades and the one Zen One used to wield and laid them on the floor. You furrowed your eyebrows and then reached for a hidden space under your bed to take out a box that contained Vader’s old lightsaber from Mustafar. You took it out and laid it with the rest of the sabers, the kyber crystals calling out to you in screams.

The pain and suffering emanating from the blades was almost enough to drown you in the Dark Side but you gritted your teeth, refusing to yield. If what you had in mind for this plan were to work, you had to battle your inner demons first before deciding to wield your lightsabers again, willingly this time. You hardly had any choice back on Motok when the life of Solo was in danger, as well as yours.

You deeply sighed, hesitating for a moment before closing your eyes and focusing your Force energy on the lightsabers before you. You reached out and separated the crystals from the blades, carefully manipulating them in the air. Now for the hard part. You had to connect your soul with the crystals one by one and listen to their cries. You remembered doing it the first time you constructed your lightsabers, except you were channeling the anger and hate into the crystals and not the other way around. You had to get rid of the pain and hate this time in order to wield them. You’d first start with yours.

You saw flashes of memories that did not belong to you, the crystals showing you what they witnessed during the years of Varlo possessing your blades. You cringed in pain, your senses assaulted by the vivid images of more deaths by his hands. You saw him modifying your blades, channeling the Dark Side of the force inside of them, making them resonate with his twisted and evil soul.

Now the crystals were curious as they explored you, deciding if they could trust you. You dropped your shields completely, allowing the Force to surround you as you were assaulted by more pain and suffering. You gritted your teeth, refusing to give in. Instead you poured your love, thinking of happy memories with your team and your time with the Rebellion, coating the darkness of crystals with your light emitting from deep within you.

_What are you?_ The whispers asked, surrounding you.

_I don’t know_ , you honestly answered.

_You’re not a Sith, nor a Jedi_ , the whispers continued. 

_I’m no one._

The whispers were quiet, considering your answer.

_That is not true_ , they finally replied and you frowned at their response. What did they mean by that?

You saw another image like the one back on _Tantive IV_ on your way back to the Rebel base. The image of a person wielding yellow blades next to the figure with a blue blade. You focused closely on the smaller figure, something resonating deep within you that you couldn’t quite place. The shadows lifted around the figure and you gasped seeing your own face reflected back at you.

_You are meant to protect_ , the whispers continued. 

The images continued to play in your head and you saw what the whispers meant by that. You were not meant to be anything more than an enforcer of the Force, using your skills and abilities for the good while eradicating the evil.

_A guardian_ , you heard a whisper say.

You tilted your head, listening to the will of the Force. You’ve never considered that concept of the Force before, had never even heard of it nor had you ever seen a yellow blade in your entire life. Yet your soul responded to the calling, craving to receive such a gift from the Force itself. You’ve heard of the Force guiding people, sometimes even deciding their fates if meant to be. It wasn’t a coincidence that you were shown these images, the Force was deciding, had already decided your future for you. 

You sighed and nodded, accepting the offering presented to you.

_Then so be it._

You gasped and opened your eyes, the kyber crystals gently settling around you. You picked up the two yellow crystals and watched in amazement at their color. They were beautiful. The Force felt peaceful and calm around them, in stark contrast to the two red ones laying next to you. You frowned at the one that called to you the most, the crystal of Darth Vader’s saber. 

You suspected Vader had many blades considering his position, but the raw anger, hate and suffering emitting from this particular crystal was amplified even more by decades of being located on Mustafar, the pinnacle of the Dark Side of the Force. 

You tried to reach out to it through the Force and was assaulted by raw images of extreme pain and suffering and the red haze of hate. You choked on the intensity of these feelings, gasping for breath. The images flew past your eyelids, too fast for you to decipher them. You heard a distinct rasp of Vader’s respirator in the distance. 

A lone figure appeared to you, surrounded by pitch black darkness. His back was to you and you couldn’t see his face, yet something told you this was Vader in his younger years before his tragic accident. His dirty blond hair was wavy, almost reaching his shoulders, as it was ruffled by the invisible wind. He was wearing what appeared to be the Jedi robes, his black cloak billowing behind him. You just then realized he was speaking to someone, a short petite figure standing in front of him. 

You moved closer, finally registering the words spoken by a woman, holding onto Vader’s cloak.

_Anakin, all I want is your love,_ the brown-haired woman softly spoke, looking up at the man standing in front of her. 

_Love won’t save you Padme. Only my new powers can do that._ Vader’s voice sounded younger without the slight rasp you were used to accompanying it. 

_At what cost?_ The woman, Padme, asked furrowing her delicate eyebrows. _You’re a good person Anakin, don’t do this._

_I won’t lose you the way I lost my mother,_ Vader fervently replied. _I’ve become more powerful than any Jedi has ever dreamed of and I’m doing it for you. To protect_ you _._

_Come away with me_ , Padme raised her arms, placing her hands on each side of Vader’s face. _Help me raise our child. Leave everything else behind while we still can._

_Don’t you see?_ _We don’t have to run away anymore. I’ve brought peace to the Republic. I’m more powerful than the Chancellor. I can overthrow him._

The more Vader spoke, the more heated his voice had become and the woman slowly backed away from him, revealing to you the swell of her pregnant stomach. _And together you and I can rule the galaxy, make things we want them to be._

_I don’t believe what I’m hearing_ , Padme’s face was anguished, her lip quivering. _Obi-Wan was right, you’ve changed._

_I don’t want to hear anymore of Obi-Wan. The Jedi turned against me, don’t_ you _turn against me._ Vader’s voice was laced with anger and hidden threat. 

_I don’t know you anymore_ , Padme’s tears started falling down her beautiful face. _Anakin, you’re breaking my heart. You’re going down the path I can’t follow._

_Because of Obi-Wan?_

You saw another figure in the distance, a man in similar outfit as the one Vader wore but in lighter colors. The woman continued speaking through her tears. 

_Because of what you’ve done. What you plan to do._

_Stop_ , she continued pleading, stepping closer to Vader. _Stop now. Come back. I love you._

_Liar!_ Vader yelled, his voice laced with pain and betrayal, the Force swirling in danger. 

The woman just now noticed the man in the distance, Obi-Wan, and her eyes widened as she shook her head. _No!_

Vader started pacing, his face turned your way for a fraction and you saw a beautiful young man, his features twisted with anger. _You’re with him. You brought him here to kill me._

_No..._ Padme continued, but was silenced by Vader’s raised hand extended her way, his hand curling into a gesture you knew all too well. He was choking his own pregnant wife. You felt sick watching the scene, unable to do anything, unable to help her. Your own tears started falling down your face. You didn’t register what Obi-Wan was saying in the distance, your focus solely on Vader’s face as he continued choking Padme. 

_Anakin…_

Vader finally released her, and the woman fell with a gasp, losing conscience. The memory faded, the voices of the two men becoming muted and you were brought back to your own quarters, gasping for breath. 

You choked on your own tears as your body started shaking, unable to shake off the feelings the memory showed to you. It was like you were them, experiencing their emotions and pain. You felt like vomiting and you shakely raised yourself to your feet in time to get to the fresher before you expelled everything out of your stomach. This memory, this vision, was worse than the ones you’ve had nightmares of. 

You continued crying for a while, laying on the cold floor of the fresher, your head and stomach hurting as you gritted your teeth. You should not have tried to look, this memory was not for you to see. You felt partially guilty for knowing what happened, intruding on the privacy of a man you barely knew, but the guilt was overridden by raw hate you felt towards Vader. He was a monster and you failed to see it fully until now.

You managed to calm down, constructing shields around your mind as you tried to take slow deep breaths. You were wasting time that you should have spent on packing for the mission. You went back inside your small living quarters, placing the kyber crystals back inside their respective blades, not even bothering with the Inquisitor’s crystal. You were too emotionally and mentally drained to try and look through the crystal and you didn’t care at this point. You almost had an urge to destroy Vader’s but you stopped yourself and guided it back inside the weapon, careful of trying not to connect with it again. One of its visions was enough to scar you. 

You finished packing, taking only the essentials, checking your blasters for the charge and stashing your lightsabers back inside your jacket. You pulled out another box hidden from view’s eye and you hesitated before opening it. There you saw your old Inquisitor’s uniform that you kept since joining the Rebellion and you’ve moved it with you to each of the Rebel’s new locations, never quite willing to part with it. You supposed you should be glad you kept it, this was also part of your plan as you packed it with the rest of your stuff. 

A knock on the door startled you and you hid the other two lightsabers as well as your bag behind the bed. Who would want to speak with you now? Unless it was one of your team members or perhaps Leia Organa, although you silently hoped it was not the latter. You haven’t told her of what you were planning on doing. 

You hoped your face was not streaked with tears from your earlier breakdown as you steeled yourself and opened the door only for you to falter second later as your eyes landed on the last person in the galaxy you wanted to see right now. Darth Vader was standing right in front of you, his gaze boring into yours.

_Kriff._

You almost slammed the door back into his face but he was much faster and used his incredible strength to push you aside as he strode in, slamming the door shut.

“What the hell do you think you are doing?” you screamed at him, your earlier hate at the man resuming as you curled your hands into fists, drawing blood. You were that close to pounce on him and beat him to the pulp, your patience with him completely dissolved. 

“I should ask you the same thing,” Vader replied, watching you.

“ _Get. Out._ ” you hissed, glaring at him. 

He narrowed his eyes at you as he neared towards you again, raising his hand and you unconsciously flinched, recalling the memory of him choking his pregnant wife. Vader stopped his hand mid air, his eyes boring in your face while you tried look anywhere else but him. 

“What did you see?” he finally asked and you wanted to fall through the floor and disappear.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” you replied, trying to keep your voice from wavering and your breathing even.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if the whole Force-forsaken galaxy could feel your emotions broadcasted like you did earlier. The shields on your emotions are weaker than that of an untrained child!”

You almost flinched again at Vader’s accusing tone and your anger flared at his tone of voice. He sounded like a parent scolding a child. 

“I won’t ask again. What did you see?”

Your gaze finally found his and you glared at him, clenching your teeth. Your body was tense from trying to control your rage. You finally scoffed and circled past him as you reached for his lightsaber behind your bed and flung it at him with the Force. 

“Here. Take it and leave,” you growled as Vader effortlessly stopped his own weapon from hitting him with the Force and grabbed the weapon in his gloved hand. 

“That doesn’t answer my question,” he responded, looking at you once again.

“I’m not obligated to give you one. Get. Out.” You really were starting to lose patience with this man. When Vader did not move or looked like he paid much attention to your words you growled and grabbed your bag, readying to leave the room.

Before you could even open the door, Vader slammed his hand on it, stopping you from moving any further. You were pinned between his body and the door, and the tight space mixed with the heat radiating off his body made you feel even more angry at the whole situation. You turned around to face him.

“What is your problem?” you screamed at him. “First, you act like this is the last place you want to be in. Now, you won’t kriffing leave me alone. Take your ship and get out of here before someone finds out who you _really_ are.”

“ _My_ problem?” Vader hissed, specks of gold returning to his eyes as he neared his face to yours, his hot breath mingling with yours.

“My problem, as you put it, is your uncanny ways getting yourself into all sorts of trouble while disregarding your safety or that of others.”

You were about to respond with a snarky comment but Vader continued, “You seem to have a deranged idea that you’re invincible, which causes others to get in harm's way, like Solo.”

You opened your mouth but Vader was not finished, “You are reckless, careless and rash in your decisions, unlike anything a Commander should act or be like. If you were part of my crew, you’d be long dead before I allowed you to act this way on my watch. Yet, here you are, planning a rescue mission with all the odds pointing against you, as you think you have even a _smallest_ chance of accomplishing it. You are a dead woman. You and your team.”

You stared at Vader with wide eyes, your mind swirling with all the possible insults you could fling back at him. You decided it was not worth your mental state as you narrowed your eyes at him.

“Thank you for your input, _Lord Vader_. I’d take it into consideration but I honestly don’t give a kriff about your opinion. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a mission waiting for me.”

You were about to turn around but you weren’t expected to be slammed into the door with his body, his other hand coming up on the opposite side of your head as he sneered at you. You were literally pinned in place by him. 

“I wasn’t done, _Commander_.” 

You gaped at the man in front of you, trying and failing to calm your erratically beating heart. For once you were thoroughly terrified of the man and the bastard could feel it. His lips stretched into an unsettling grin.

“As of right now, Princess Leia is planning on sneaking aboard your ship and revealing her presence only after you left the planet’s surface and were on your way to the last known location of Solo,” Vader slowly started, enunciating each word with clarity. 

“You would have no choice but to accept her presence and include her into your insane plan. You will be putting my _daughter_ into danger and possible death, and I cannot allow that.”

Your eyes widened at Vader’s ease of acknowledging Leia Organa so openly to you as him being her father. Vader knew more than you thought he did. Or perhaps Leia Organa had told him what she told you back in the medical facility on Taris. 

“If that is the case, then Organa shall stay here,” you answered, the solution to Vader’s problem clear. You didn’t understand why he was so upset at the prospect of your team leaving.

“You make it sound so easy,” Vader scoffed. “Yet if anything taught me over the years of knowing the Princess is that she acts just as reckless as you are and won’t take no for an answer.”

You frowned at his statement, not understanding what it was Vader wanted from you.

“Which leaves us with only one solution to our little problem. I’m coming with you.”

You gaped at Vader, thinking that he was joking. But Vader hardly joked and right now his face was serious as he stared down at you. 

“Don’t look so surprised, Commander,” Vader continued when you failed to answer him. “You have much better chances of survival with me than otherwise. I think I’ve already proven that point many times, don’t you agree?”

The thought of spending more time with Vader made you scowl. Yet you knew deep down Vader was right. You did have a chance at this mission if Vader did come with you. You weren’t going to tell him that though as you growled.

“ _Fine_. Do whatever you want.”

You thought he would release you but instead Vader continued watching you and you were unsettled by his hard gaze.

“You didn’t answer my question.”

You groaned out loud, almost rolling your eyes, “Vader, let me go.”

“Not until you answer me,” he replied, his face inching closer to yours. You shrunk as far back as you could into the door to keep some space from him. 

“I’m not telling you anything,” you hissed.

“I can easily take what I want,” he replied, one of his gloved hands settling on your forehead, just barely a soft touch.

You tensed at his words, his touch unsettling you even more. You knew he could and that thought scared you the most. You’ve seen him interrogating the Grand Inquisitor. He would slither through your shields, seeking the information he needed without any regards to your pain by doing so. His intrusion would shatter your mind as you’ve seen many others crumble at the intensity of Force interrogation. 

You shakely took a breath into your aching lungs, closing your eyes and preparing for assault. There was no way you’d willingly tell Vader what you saw. That alone would most likely warrant your death. 

His touch on your forehead lingered for a moment longer, and then it was gone and you heard what sounded like a soft sigh coming from Vader.

“You saw _her_ , didn’t you?”

You decided not to respond, keeping your eyes closed. The only indication of the truth in his words was your body tensing even more. You wished he would just snap at you for intruding on his private memory or even kill you instead of the silence that followed his question. You didn’t know what thoughts ran through his head but you definitely did not expect his next question.

“And how does that make you feel knowing what I’ve done?”

You opened your eyes to look at Vader in surprise. He was quietly regarding you, the earlier anger and scowl on his face was gone and replaced by a blank, almost slack expression. And in his blue eyes you could have sworn what looked like a hint of guilt. 

“Why does it matter to you what I think?” you responded, barely above a whisper. 

“Tell me,” he replied instead, his hand settling on your shoulder and he squeezed.

“Vader, I…” you faltered, confused. “I don’t know what you want me to tell you. That I was sickened by it? That I was terrified? That I realized that only a true monster would do something like that? I don’t know what to think. Am I surprised by it? I don’t think I should be. I’m sure you’ve done worse things in your life than that. I’m just... _lost_.”

You couldn’t describe all what you’ve felt with just words. You were sure Vader understood that and knew what you felt without having to tell him. You found this whole situation confusing and you never imagined that you’d be talking to Vader about it of all people. He didn’t seem angry at you which stumped you the most. 

You watched his face, trying to figure out from his expressionless gaze what he was thinking. It was unfair, you thought, that he could read you so easily while he was a blank page even without him wearing a mask. 

He finally nodded his head and pulled away from you, releasing his hold on your body. You frowned in confusion, expecting some sort of answer from him but instead he gently pushed you aside and opened the door. 

You thought he’d leave without saying anything but he paused and without looking at you said, “I will talk with Leia myself in regards to what we’ve decided. We will leave in one standard hour.”

Without waiting to hear your response he left the room, shutting the door behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so couple of pointers. Vader's lightsaber in this story is not the same one he had during the films since he lost it during the battle above Endor. I'm assuming he had several of them made in case he ever lost one, and kept different ones in each of his residences for like training purposes? 
> 
> Vader can feel reader's emotions since they are connected through the Force. Her vision is part of that as well. This will be explained later in the story. That's how he knew what she saw and why he came to see her. 
> 
> I hoped you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing this :)


	21. An unexpected find.

You were en route to the last known location of Captain Solo’s coordinates, somewhere in the Arkanis sector of the Outer Rim Territories. You frowned at the holo map of the system, trying to figure out the possible locations the Imperial army would have taken Solo.

“Not to sound pessimistic or anything,” Ra’alon’s voice cut through your concentration. “But how do we know Captain Solo wasn’t taken to Thrawn’s ship directly? For all we know he could be _anywhere_.”

“We don’t,” replied Leia, who was standing next to you looking at the map. “But it’s worth the try checking this sector first for any clues.”

You weren’t sure what Vader had told Leia Organa before you all departed for this unauthorized mission, but whatever it was made her seem much calmer and composed than the last time you’ve seen her during the High Command meeting. Her resolve was quite remarkable. 

“If all fails we could infiltrate one of the Imperial facilities on the nearby planets in the Arkanis sector,” Tryon cut in, observing the map with a calculating look in his feline eyes. “We would need to hack in to their servers to find if we can learn more of Captain Solo’s location.”

“You have a planet in mind?” you asked.

“I’d say we can check out Geonosis system,” Tryon replied.

You frowned at the mention of Geonosis. You’ve heard rumors of the planet, never actually being there. Not much was known except at some point the Empire built their factories on the planet’s surface and mined it for materials. If anyone actually knew more about the planet it would be Vader. But he was conveniently missing aboard the Imperial ship you’ve “borrowed” from the Rebel Alliance for this rescue mission. 

You silently sighed at yourself for thinking of Vader again. Ever since the vision and the awkward and uncomfortable conversation you had with Vader inside your quarters, you have been trying to avoid him and you had a growing suspicion Vader was doing the same. But the awkwardness would have to be pushed aside if you were to work together on this mission and actually survive this. 

You let your senses wander through the ship until you found his cold presence and you followed it until you reached the back of the ship. There you found Vader sitting on the floor, cross legged, with tools scattered around him, tinkering with an R2-D2 droid that Leia insisted on bringing. 

“There, good as new,” Vader quietly told the droid, not looking up at you as you entered the compartment.

You raised your eyebrow at the droid’s chirpy responses, and the casual way he was addressing Vader.

“You know this droid?” you asked, your curiosity getting the better of you.

“Yes,” Vader curtly replied, still refusing to look at you.

The droid relayed the rest of the information in his binary to you, with chirps and whistles telling you the story of how he served Vader during the Clone Wars.

“That’s _enough_ , Artoo.”

Vader’s harsh voice interrupted the droid’s tale and Artoo bickered something unhappily back at his former master before rolling away from the room. You silently chuckled at the droid’s unusual snippy personality before your focus was back on Vader.

“So,” you started after you couldn't take any more silence between the two of you. “How come you are here and not with the rest of the team going over our rescue plan?”

“I was under the impression I was not welcomed,” Vader replied, collecting the tools.

You frowned at that. “You’re the one who volunteered yourself to go on this mission. No one here made you do this.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Vader interrupted, finally looking up at you.

You almost rolled your eyes, again. “Ugh, why do you have to be so _difficult_ all the time?”

“I would say the same about you,” he replied, resuming his previous activity, whatever it was he was doing before you found him. 

You continued to stare at the man, your hands on your hips with a scowl on your face.

“Your team seems to be thinking some jarring things about my presence on this ship,” Vader continued after a moment.

“Is that what’s bothering you?” you scoffed, almost laughing. “That you actually care what others think of you? Well, that’s a first.”

Vader snapped his head your way again, glaring at you. You rolled your eyes this time and decided to get to point for the reason coming to see him.

“What can you tell me about Geonosis?”

Vader frowned. “Geonosis? What’s that got to do with Solo?”

“Well, if you were present during our meeting I wouldn’t have to tell you.”

Your smart comment only seemed to aggravate Vader more, so you sighed before continuing, “We are considering it as a means to acquire information on Solo’s whereabouts from the Imperial databank. I was hoping you’d be able to provide us all with more information on what to expect. I’ve only heard what I was allowed to hear during my service to the Empire.”

“I wouldn’t waste your time going there then,” Vader finally replied after considering what you’ve just told him. “All the data from the planet was wiped many years ago, you won’t find anything there.”

“It’s worth a try,” you continued. “We have no other leads. That’s around the location where Solo went missing. Don’t you think it’s odd that the Empire had their Star Destroyer stationed around the area?”

“It’s not surprising,” Vader shrugged. “Considering the fact that Geonosis was once a location for the construction of the first Death Star for the first few years after the end of the Clone Wars and then later used as means for mining materials.”

You narrowed your eyes at Vader’s tone of voice. The inflection at the last part of what he said caught your attention. “You’re not telling the whole truth. There’s more.”

Vader regarded you for a moment. “You seem to be getting better at using the Force.”

He was stalling, you concluded. “You are hiding something. _Were_ hiding something. What is on Geonosis that the Empire would be interested in?”

“I suppose you shall find out since it appears we are heading there,” Vader replied, effectively avoiding answering your question. 

You growled your frustration out loud this time. This man was impossible to deal with. And he was _really_ starting to get on your nerves.

“Can you at least make an effort of being remotely interested in what we are discussing? It would help if you actually knew what we’ve decided on.”

“Why would I need to?” Vader scoffed. “I can simply read their minds, their thoughts are projected across the whole kriffing ship.”

You’ve had enough of his snarky attitude as you stalked to him and practically jabbed your finger in his face as you towered over his sitting form.

“Listen, I don’t know what your problem is _this_ time, but if you’re gonna plan on acting like a spoiled hormonal teenager then by all means you can stay in the back of the ship for the duration of our mission. I don’t need your sour attitude spoiling the rest of ours.”

“ _Excuse me_?” Vader sounded shocked. No, more like appalled at your outburst with him.

You weren’t going to stay and listen to anymore of his jabbing comments so you turned around and stalked out of the room. You were barely halfway across the ship heading towards the front to meet with the rest of your team when you heard an unmistakable sound of heavy footsteps behind you as someone was approaching you with a fast speed.

You reacted in time when a gloved hand roughly grabbed your upper arm as you spun around to face a very pissed off Sith Lord staring back at you. You hissed at his rough handling, the unnatural stiffness and steeled grip of his hand telling you his hand was not flesh but metal under the gloves he always wore. You were certainly going to bruise from the tightness of his grip.

“You are hurting me,” you hissed, trying and failing to get out of his grip.

_Good_ , he mentally replied as his harsh voice cut through your head and you winced. _Perhaps pain is the only thing you will listen to since nothing else gets through your head. If you think you can speak with me the way you did…_

“Oh, Commander, there you are,” a voice interrupted Vader’s tirade.

You and Vader were both snapped out of your glaring contest with each other as you noticed Ra’alon standing off to the side with a quizzical expression on her face as her eyes traveled to Vader’s hand that was still gripping your upper arm. Vader immediately let you go as he straightened himself.

“Perfect timing,” you smiled at Ra’alon. “We were just about to meet you all up front.”

You gave Vader a very pointed look before disappearing through the sliding doors inside the front compartment of the ship with Ra’alon behind you.

The rest of the team was still discussing the plans just as you left them, minus Gil and Chewie who were up front piloting the ship. They all turned around to look behind you as another person entered the room, Vader practically stalking in right after you. Leia quirked her eyebrow but said nothing as she looked between you and Vader.

“I apologize for such late introductions,” you started, rounding the station with the holo map still open so you could face Vader but be out of his direct way. “But allow our guest to introduce himself to all of you as a new member of our team on this mission.”

Vader jerked his head to look your way as his eyes narrowed. You smirked, sending Vader a mental push his way. You weren’t going to let him get away with his earlier moodiness and his uncanny ways of making it seem like he was better than anyone else on this ship by ignoring your team and being anti-social. He pressed you past your limits and you’ve had enough of his attitude. 

Vader’s gaze swept the room before it landed on Leia. He straightened himself out, locking his shoulders and lifted his head about to open his mouth but was interrupted by none other than Tryon who stepped forward.

“General Skywalker, it’s a pleasure to have finally met you and be able to work with you side by side. The stories of you back during the Clone Wars are legendary.”

Your mouth fell open gaping at Tryon who was holding his hand out to Vader, who surprisingly looked less stricken by these turn of events than you thought he should. Your gaze swept to Leia, thinking she had told your team, but she had the same surprised look on her face. You looked back at Vader, who had actually taken Tryon’s hand and shook it.

“My name’s Tryon Ar’Me,” Tryon continued, letting go of Vader’s hand. “You may not remember me but I remember you back on Bothawui and your lead of the Republic forces against General Griveous in the attempt to infiltrate our planet. Your skills as a war General were the only thing that helped the Republic win the battle and for our planet to be left unscathed from the Separatist’s attacks. You’ve met my father, Kai Ar’Me. I was but a teenager at the time.”

Vader slowly nodded, his face void of any emotion as he regarded the Bothan male in front of him. You never thought there’d be someone who could easily recognize him, same with Mon Mothma. Who was Vader exactly prior to becoming what he was now?

Something from the way Vader was handling the situation told you he was aware that his identity was known prior to this awkward introduction. Was this why he was avoiding the rest of your team in the back of the ship? Why he seemed to be concerned about your team’s thoughts of his presence on the ship? If that was the case then perhaps there were more people that could easily recognize him. You’d have to talk to Organa given a chance to figure out the cover story for Vader.

“ _Skywalker_?” piped up Ra’alon coming up next to Vader and looking at him with wonder in her eyes. “As in related to Luke Skywalker?”

Vader stiffened, his eyes hardening and you and Leia both stepped in to prevent Vader from lashing out.

“I apologize for not letting you all know of his true identity,” started Leia, beating you to the punch, as she came up to stand by her father. “But this must be kept secret. There are spies in the Rebellion and we must keep this information hidden from their reach.”

She hesitated for a moment and then continued. “Anakin Skywalker is indeed the father of Luke Skywalker. Which also makes him _my_ father.”

The shock was permeating the room from the revelation, confirming everyone’s speculations. To them Vader was merely a forgotten war hero during the Clone Wars. They still had no clue who Vader actually was. You didn’t think they’d want to talk to him let alone be in the same room with him once they found out. 

“That is understandable,” replied Tryon.

“What should we call you then, sir?” asked Gavid who at this point had not made much noise, leaning against the far wall and observing the situation in silence. 

Vader hesitated for a moment. 

“I suppose ‘Anakin’ would suffice,” he finally responded, his gaze flickering off to the side away from everyone’s stares as his face muscles twitched. He was having a hard time with letting them use his old name.

“We are about to leave a hyperspace,” announced Gil over the intercom and the uncomfortable silence was broken, everyone moving about the space preparing for debarking on Geonosis. 

You decided to leave the stiff atmosphere to go inside the cockpit in time to see the desert planet in front of your view surrounded by the asteroid ring. No signs of any Imperial ships or cruisers were nearby and you sighed in relief. 

“Let’s check out the factories below,” you suggested and Gil directed the ship towards the planet’s surface. 

You didn’t have to search long for a wide area to land a ship, nearby one of the metal structures built in the rocky part of the desert. The air was arid when you finally disembarked the ship and the silence was unnatural to your ears. 

“At one point the Empire gassed the whole population,” answered Tryon everyone’s unspoken question. 

You looked at Vader who was standing still, calmly observing the view with his own eyes. 

“I suggest we split into three groups,” you announced. “Gavid, take Ra’alon and General Organa with you. Tryon, you and V _-Anakin_ will come with me.”

You internally hissed at yourself when Vader’s hardened gaze flickered your way. Saying Vader's new name, even though it was his old one, was going to take some time getting used to.

“Artoo will come with us as well. Gil and T-2, stay with the ship in case we need to make a quick getaway. Chewie, I’d like for you to stay with the ship as well in case we need to shoot something down from the sky.”

You smiled at the Wookie and he roared in affirmative before you continued. “Let’s see if there’s anything useful we can find, keep an eye for any Imperial probes. And keep your comlinks on at all times.”

You all parted several ways, your group deciding on first checking the old structure in front of you. There were several of these metal structures scattered across Geonosis, all old factories that had tunnels running underneath them used for mining. Your goal was to find a station still working for Artoo to access the old database and perhaps link to the Imperial files. Vader didn’t sound too optimistic when he told you it would just be a waste of time. But something told you to keep looking around.

The factory itself was long abandoned, the metal starting to corrode and break apart from the harsh conditions of the planet’s surface. You all continued further down the platform toward the tunnels. Tryon had told you on the way that these tunnels all led to one location and you were curious to find out where they all ended. Vader stepped inside the tunnel first once you reached it and you raised your eyebrow at him.

“I know these tunnel systems better than you do,” he replied, feeling your curious gaze on him. 

You shrugged, letting him lead the way with Artoo illuminating the pathway for you. The tunnels were an intricate system of many labyrinths and you could see how someone could get lost without knowing where to go. You followed Vader for quite some time, darkness surrounding you until you heard a distant sound, reminding you of someone or something banging against a hard surface, like metal against metal. It echoed around you and you glanced at your two companions.

“I thought you said this place was abandoned and there were no living beings left alive?” you quietly asked, the sound repeating itself again.

“There are no living beings besides us,” Vader replied. “As for abandoned, we shall see if that is the case.”

You frowned but decided to wait to ask more questions, the sound now guiding you all towards its source. The banging had become much louder the closer you got, the sounds of whirling and snapping radiating off walls. You finally saw a light up ahead as you neared the exit of the tunnel. 

What you saw before your eyes once you cleared the tunnel made you gasp.

You were facing a clearing, much larger than you’ve ever seen below the ground level, swarmed by hundreds if not thousands of droids and other machinery. In the middle of the clearing you saw a skeleton of a Star Destroyer, the design of which looked very familiar to you, until you realized that this was another new Star Destroyer like the one you saw above Mustafar. Its completion was still far from being done but the superlaser cannon you witnessed destroying the planet was already fully operational and attached to the massive ship. 

You gasped as you felt someone dragging you back into the darkness of the tunnel, and you turned around to see Vader holding you firm by your arm, his face grim as his gaze focused on something in the distance. You followed his gaze to see several Imperial probe droids patrolling the area, one of them close to where you currently were hiding. You stifled another gasp. 

You turned to look back at Vader’s face, your thoughts loud with dozens of swarming questions. _Is this what you were hiding out here? A Star Destroyer manufacture?_

You couldn’t help that even mentally your voice was laced with a hint of betrayal that Vader was withholding such vital information from the Rebellion. If he knew this was the place Thrawn was manufacturing the new Star Destroyers why had Vader not said anything to you?

His gaze locked on yours when he finally turned to look at you. _No, I was not aware of this project._

_Then what were you hiding?_

“I don’t think my eyes are deceiving me,” Tryon’s voice interrupted your silent conversation with Vader. “But aren’t these commando droids? The BX-series used during the Clone Wars? I thought they were decommissioned decades ago.”

“Yes, they are,” Vader replied, his gaze still on yours. “If memory serves me well I believe it was Darth Vader that commissioned the wide production of these battle droids for his own use.”

You gasped. _You had a kriffing battle droid factory on this planet and you didn’t think it was important enough to mention this_ small _detail?_

You were fuming and you made sure Vader could feel it through your connection with him. Was he trying to lure you here and activate these things to sabotage your mission? Or worse, betray the Rebellion and perhaps kill you? The possibilities were endless.

_These were neither of any of my intentions._ You heard Vader’s agitated voice inside your head. _I was not aware you were planning on coming here until you told me and it’s been years since I’ve last been on this Force forsaken planet. I’ve stopped the droid production once they suited my needs. I was not aware of the magnitude of their production past my imprisonment._

“You have quite an intel,” Tryon said, glancing at Vader. “Look there, a ray shield.”

You separated yourself from Vader’s hold and looked up above where Tryon was pointing to to see a large ray shield obscuring the scene below it. It was acting like a camouflage from the outside, in case anyone had decided to investigate the planet and fly over its surface. From the outside it would have looked like a desolate desert as it appeared to you when you’ve flown over the area. 

“We need to try and get our hands on one of those droids,” you pointed to the droids below you. You were pretty sure you could get some vital information from their central computer system if you could hack into one.

“That might be a little difficult in this situation,” replied Tryon as he gestured to more Imperial probe droids surrounding the area. If one of them noticed you you’d be all dead. 

“Can we deactivate the ray shield? Maybe have Gil and Chewie come down with the ship?”

“There is a landing platform I see but it’s on the opposite side of us,” Tryon was looking through his electrobinoculars. “We might be able to circle around.”

“There should be a command center as well,” Vader said, coming up behind you.

You looked up at him. “Is there a safe passageway to get to the other side?

“There is,” he nodded.

“Alright, let’s do it.”

You informed the rest of the team of what you’ve found, sending Gavid and the other members the approximate location of where you were headed. If everything worked out well then you’d be able to access the main computer in the command center, possibly get information on Solo’s whereabouts and get your hands on the construction plans of the new Star Destroyers. And then deactivate the shield and get the hell outta here before the Empire decided to show up. Easy enough, right? 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was having such a hard time writing this chapter and ended up rewriting some things about it that bothered me. Mainly the dialogue between the reader and Vader. It is supposed to be awkward between the two of them.
> 
> Another thing I had trouble with is debating if Vader's identity should be revealed so early on to the rest of the team but I figured now's the best time than any other. The story of Bothawui is canon, and the lead of the Republic forces did indeed occur by Anakin Skywalker although I had to tweak the scenario a little to fit into this story. Tryon is a very intelligent Bothan and he is only a few years younger than Vader so he would still remember the face of Hero with no Fear. He was quite a charmer back then <3
> 
> And then of course Geonosis, the location of so many events happening there is mind boggling. I just had to include the planet into this story. And the fact that it once served as one of the locations of the Death Star I thought why not include it as also part of the new Star Destroyer manufacture site? And the fact that Vader once used the site for manufacturing of his droids fit well into this part of the story. 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed it!


	22. Spring the trap.

It took you another hour or so to tread through the many underground tunnels in the pitch darkness, accompanied just by Artoo’s light before you reached another clear platform that would theoretically lead you up to the landing platform Tryon saw earlier. Up to that point you had avoided the detection of the probe droids and were still in the clear. You rounded another corner and were met by a dozen of battle droids stationed around what looked like a lift. You had to quickly duck around before any of them saw you.

“Well, that complicates the problem,” said Tryon peaking around the corner. 

“There is no way for us to get by them without destroying them first, which would certainly draw the attention of other droids,” you grimly said. 

“Not necessarily,” supplied Vader as he extended his hand in the direction of the droids and furrowed his eyebrows.

You watched in amazement as he shut the droids one by one with a mere wave of his hand, the Force swirling around him and you as he did so. 

“The infinite power of the Jedi will never cease to amaze me,” whispered Tryon with amazement in his voice as he watched Vader.

Vader frowned and turned around with an unreadable look in his eyes, “I’m not a...”

“ _ Anakin _ .”

You glared at Vader with a silent pleading and exasperated look in your eyes. Right now was not the time for Vader to proclaim that he was not a Jedi. Vader narrowed his eyes but said nothing as he turned around and stalked towards the lift. You sighed, following behind the aggravated Sith. 

You entered the lift in silence, avoiding to stand too close to Vader who was sending off murderous vibes towards no one in particular. He was being extra moody for no reason. You felt his glare on you as he caught a stray of your thoughts that you were not even trying to conceal to let him know you were not pleased with his attitude. You ignored him as the lift door opened and you were met with more armed droids. But this time the luck was not on your side as one of them noticed you and raised his armed weapon to blast you.

With a wave of his hand Vader was able to send the droid flying as you and Tryon whipped your blasters and started shooting at the rest of them. Vader dealt the most damage, ripping apart the droids’ circuits and sending them sprawled on the ground as more of them headed your way.

“There’s a command center up ahead,” barked Vader unfazed by the blaster fire directed at him. “Get the information you need, I’ll handle this.”

You nodded your head even though Vader couldn’t see it and sped past him with Tryon and Artoo behind as you neared a metal door. You blasted it open and was met with more droids directing their weapons on you. You were much faster, anticipating this would happen, as you threw an ion grenade towards the droids to incapacitate them. 

“Alright, we don’t have much time,” you told Tryon, rushing towards the main control panel. “Tryon, can you try to hack in the main computer and disable the ray shield?”

“I’m on it,” he replied, rushing forward to another station and trying to log into the servers.

“Artoo, connect to the main hub and see if you can scan anything from the Imperial database, specifically for any information regarding Solo,” you told the little droid as you tried to hack into another server.

Artoo beeped in affirmative and you resumed your work. You commed Gil at the same time and he responded immediately.

“What’s the situation, Commander?”

“Gil, I need you to bring the ship over to the location I’m sending you. Tryon is trying to disable the ray shield. Once he does that we will only have a limited amount of time to get out of here. Get to the extraction site as soon as you can, we will meet you there.”

“Roger that.”

You hissed in frustration as the system kept locking you out, the codes you were trying to put in all sending the error message. This was encrypted more securely than you realized. Seemed that Tryon and Artoo were having a similar problem, you couldn’t get past the encryption part.

You rushed towards one of the disabled droids, checking it for anything that might help you. You tore off its head as sparks flew around you when the wires were disconnected from the rest of its body and set the head on the control panel, hard wiring it to the control box off to the side. You tried to look through its programming for any clues but instead found that the data was all but erased from the droid’s memory. A fail safe, you realized. The droid was programmed to erase his data if it was found compromised. There was no way to acquire the data even if you captured one alive.

“I’m not having any luck,” said Tryon off to the side. Artoo beeped a series of negative responses confirming your fears that the system was on lock down. Someone with a higher security clearance was needed to disable the security systems on the main computer. Your eyes widened when you thought of an idea.

You commed Vader and it took him a second to respond.

“ _ What _ ?” he did not sound happy at all. 

“Can you come in here?”

“I’m a little busy,” he snapped and you heard a sound of another droid being torn apart. Neither you nor Vader brought your lightsabers, you didn’t think you needed them and you weren’t ready to explain to your team what it all meant just yet. You wished now that one of you had a foresight to bring one. Cutting through the droids would be that much easier. 

“We can’t hack into the database,” you snapped back. “I thought you might be able to help.”

“I would be obliged to help,” he started. “But there’s no stopping these kriffing droids.”

_ Because you are the one who created them _ , you snapped back through your mental link, being wary that Tryon was right next to you. 

Vader’s anger and annoyance rolled back at you and you scoffed. Right at the moment you comlink beeped again and you switched it to hear Gavid’s voice.

“I hear lots of commotion up ahead,” he said, the heaviness in his voice telling you he was running full speed.

“There is a horde of battle droids up ahead,” you warned. “Gavid, I need you to back up Anakin with Ra’alon. We need his help in disabling the security. I’ll be out in a second.”

You rushed out of the command center, running back to where you heard Vader battling the droids. You shot a few that got a little too close to the man and he turned to look at you, grimace adorning his face. You saw Gavid and the others running from the opposite way and you smirked when you saw Gavid getting ready to deploy one of his cannons. 

You threw a couple of grenades in the center of the biggest swarm of droids, ducking out of the way when they exploded. There was no reason any longer for any of you to act discreet. The whole place was now on high alert of your presence with probe droids circling around you. 

You saw Ra’alon and Leia blasting a few of them with their blasters, their accuracy hitting the targets with one shot. You continued shooting, getting closer and closer to Vader.

“I think we can handle this,” you told him once you neared him. “Tryon would appreciate it if you could help him.”

Vader glanced your way and subtly shook his head. “No. I want him out. You and Leia will come with me.”

You were about to protest but Vader was already heading towards the command center. You growled out loud, retreating back with him. You signaled for Leia to follow you in. 

Once inside Vader told Tryon to get out, heading straight for the computers. You sent Vader a glare, not pleased with him.

_ You know, you could be a little nicer to him. _

_ To disable these security measures I will need to use my clearance to get you the access you need. How were you planning on explaining it to him how I was able to hack into these servers? _

You frowned at that, Vader had a legitimate point.

“Wait,” Leia’s voice cut through as she came up to her father. “If you use your clearance codes won’t that come up on the Imperial system database? With your name on it?”

Your eyes widened at that. You forgot all about it. “She is right.  _ Kriff _ .”

You bit your lip, trying to figure out another way to hack into the system. If Vader used his codes then his name would pop up on every Imperial database and then the point of keeping Vader’s survival secret from Mustafar attack would be pointless. Thrawn would immediately know and resume his pursuit of trying to kill Vader. You couldn’t risk that.

“I hardly think it matters at this point,” Vader’s voice cut through your concentration. “If I don’t disable the shield then there’s no way for any of us to get out of here alive.”

“But…” you started but Vader cut you off.

“Do you want the damn plans and location of Solo or not?” he was agitated once again, glaring at you.

You nodded your head and Vader resumed what he was doing, immediately entering the system with the codes he provided. You were actually partially expecting for them not to work. Was the Empire that incompetent as to not change the codes from over three years ago?

“Besides the Emperor, I was the only other person in the military with the highest security clearance,” Vader said, catching in on your thoughts. “There was no way for them to change my codes since no one else had access to them. Not even Thrawn.”

“I doubt the Empire will make that mistake twice,” you said watching the information appear in front of your eyes. Vader was searching for the information you all sought. 

“Then let’s make this one count, shall we?” he said and the screen beeped once Vader located the plans for the new Star Destroyers.

“Artoo, load this information into your memory disk,” Leia immediately said and the little droid connected himself back to the central hub, downloading the information. 

“Is there anything about Han?” she hopefully asked, watching the screen intently.

“Nothing that jumps out…” Vader frowned when something crossed the screen and his anger flared up.

“Did your Rebels tell you which Star Destroyer intercepted the  _ Millennium Falcon _ ?” he asked.

“No, we couldn’t track the signal fast enough and Han didn’t have time to mention anything before we lost the connection with him,” replied Leia.

“There is a specific command ship assigned to this sector,” Vader said, his facial features carefully controlled but you could feel a simmer of something ready to be unleashed coming off Vader in waves.

You didn’t have time to ask what ship it was as sirens started blaring across the command center and the whole underground facility. You exchanged worried looks with Leia.

“We need to deactivate the ray shields,” you both said and then looked at Vader who was already accessing the security features of the center and trying to disable them. You heard shouting coming from the outside of where you were and more blasts accompanied by shakes from the explosives Gavid was using. 

You ran out with Leia behind you and started shooting the droids down but more of them were coming up from the lower levels and you were starting to get swamped by their sheer amount. If Vader didn’t hurry up you’d all be dead in the next few minutes. And just as you finished that thought, the sirens stopped blaring and you looked up to see the ray shield being deactivated just as Gil’s ship came into view. 

“Everyone, get to the landing platform,” you shouted.

Tryon and Leia went up ahead with Artoo screeching behind them as you continued firing at the droids with Gavid and Ra’alon at your side. You spotted Vader coming out of the command center, briskly approaching you. You acknowledged him with a nod when he nudged you with the Force. Looked like you were all done here, Vader acquired all the information he could. 

You started running towards the landing platform with Gil’s ship already hovering above it with its engines running, ready to take off as soon as you all boarded the ship. Vader was a few steps ahead of you with Gavid right behind your heels when you heard a grunt of pain behind you. You turned your head to see Ra’alon stumbling on the ground, holding her hip with one of her hands as she continued firing at the droids with her other hand. She was hit by the blaster fire.

You were only a few feet away from her and without a second thought you turned around and ran past Gavid towards the Twi’lek woman. 

“Commander!” Gavid shouted, readying to turn around and help you out.

“Get to the ship!” you barked, refusing to glance back as you neared Ra’alon.

The wound from up close looked a lot more serious, with a prominent burn mark and blood dripping off the side. You grabbed Ra’alon from the uninjured side, helping her get to her feet and letting her use you as a crutch as you started backing towards the ship. You weren’t even sure how the blaster fire hadn't hit you yet as more droids started to surround you.

You felt someone next to you and in that moment Vader was in your vision and he hauled the injured woman in his arms, his gaze meeting yours as his silent words bounced in your mind.

_ Go _ .

You were right behind Vader as he carried Ra’alon in his arms when the Force screamed at you and you turned around in time to see a blaster bolt nearing the ship, clearly heading in the straight pathway towards you. You saw in the peripheral vision Gavid shouting at you to move as he continued to blast the droids from the inside of the ship. You weren’t going to make it with the fire continuously blasting behind your back. You gritted your teeth, extended your hands and with tremendous concentration pushed the incoming blaster away from you and the ship with the Force push. You did the same thing to the nearby line of droids, scattering them across the ground. That gave you just enough time to jump inside the ship and the next thing you knew the ship was out of the planet’s orbit, leaving Geonosis and its dangers behind you.

Your head was spinning from the adrenaline but you ignored it as you rushed towards Ra’alon as Vader placed her on one of the benches inside the back of the ship. 

“Grab me the med kit,” you told Gavid who was staring at you with a quizzical look on his face and you frowned when he didn’t immediately respond. You repeated your request again and he finally snapped out of whatever was on his mind as he rushed to get you the supplies.

Leia and Tryon were beside you in a moment, helping you take off Ra’alon’s top clothes to access the wound. Some parts of her jacket were seared through from the heat of the blast and it took time to clean up the wound from the burnt material. You hissed at the raw sight but continued to work silently, occasionally interrupted by Ra’alon’s quiet wails and hisses. You didn’t know how long it took to finally clean up the wound and disinfect it but when you finished placing bacta patches on it you were beyond exhausted. 

At some point during your intensive focus treating Ra’alon, Leia and Vader excused themselves from the commotion but you hardly paid any attention to them. You were left with just Gavid and Tryon sitting beside you on the floor, watching Ra’alon as she finally succumbed to sleep.

You noticed Gavid’s stare and you sighed. “What is it?”

The man looked guilt-stricken as he avoided your gaze, part of his face coloring in embarrassment. 

“I meant no disrespect, Commander.”

You raised your eyebrow at that. “You can speak freely.”

He cleared his throat, obviously looking uncomfortable. “I...umh...I thought I saw something back on that platform…”

He trailed off, looking at Tryon for encouragement. You sighed again. This was what you were really hoping to avoid. Trying to explain to your team that you were Force-sensitive. That you were hiding this information from them for all those years working together. 

“What you saw was true,” you quietly said, looking at both men sitting in front of you. “I...can use the Force.”

“So, you are a Jedi?” Gavid asked and you frowned, looking away from their intense gazes.

“No, I’m not a Jedi,” you responded, hating how your voice sounded so pathetic in your own ears.

“If you are not a Jedi, then what are you?” Tryon asked, confusion written on his feline features.

“There are different ways to use the Force,” you started. “Not everyone who uses it is a Jedi.”

“Like General Skywalker?”

Your eyes widened a fraction and you looked up to see Tryon looking at you with  _ that _ look. The one he liked to use when he’d figured something out but was waiting for you to tell him instead to confirm that he was right.

“That’s different,” you said and then sighed. “I must ask you to keep this information to yourselves. Please.”

You weren’t sure if you were asking them to keep the information about you being Force-sensitive secret or the information about Vader, and perhaps you were asking them about both. You definitely weren’t ready to talk to them about Vader and you felt it was not your story to tell. There would come a time when Vader’s identity would be revealed. 

“When this mission is over, perhaps we can all sit down and I can tell you more...about my past,” you looked at them and smiled, hoping it would placate the men enough to drop this subject. 

They both nodded at you and you raised yourself off the ground. “I’d like to speak with Gil about our next step. If you don’t mind, please watch over Ra’alon?”

“Sure thing, Commander,” both Gavid and Tryon said and you left, heading towards the front of the ship.

You neared one of the closed compartments of the ship when you heard a very heated argument behind closed doors that sounded very much like Vader and Leia Organa’s voices. 

“You cannot be serious,” Leia’s voice raised a notch at whatever Vader told her earlier.

“I am and you  _ will _ listen to what I have to say on this matter,” Vader growled in response.

“You may be my father but I am old enough to make decisions for myself,” she hissed.

“Decisions that will also cost your own kriffing life,” Vader practically yelled back. “I will not allow you to continue on this mission.”

“You have no say on this,” she yelled back.

“I do when my daughter’s life is at risk. I will not let another child of mine die.” Vader’s voice sounded hoarse and you stumbled back, feeling self-conscious that you inadvertently listened to their private conversation.

You hurried to the front of the ship, practically stumbling to the cockpit to see Gil and Chewie looking at you as you entered, most likely seeing redness on your cheeks from what just happened earlier, both of them wisely ignoring mentioning anything about it. 

“How’s Ra’alon?” Gil asked.

“She’ll live,” you responded, leaning back on the wall behind you. “A blaster shot grazed her side but it didn’t look too deep. She mostly just got burned from it. She’s resting now.”

Gil nodded at you and then his face turned serious. “The Alliance had contacted us about an hour ago. Looks like they found out what we are up to. They did not sound too happy. They want us to return back immediately.”

“I’m not surprised,” you sighed and closed your eyes.

“What’s our next destination?” asked Gil. “Did you get any information from Geonosis on Captain Solo’s whereabouts?” 

You opened your eyes, staring blankly at the stars in front of you. “We managed to get the plans for the new Star Destroyers. As for the location of Captain Solo, I’m not so sure.”

You were in the dark just as the rest of your team was. Vader was the only one who had access to that information. The question he asked earlier on Geonosis came to your mind and you frowned. Which Star Destroyer was assigned to this sector? And was the ship somehow connected to the capture of Solo?

Your train of thought was interrupted when a very flustered Leia barged inside the cockpit. Her eyes immediately landed on you.

“A word with you, Commander.”

You warily glanced at Gil and Chewie and then followed Organa out towards the same area where you caught Vader and Leia arguing earlier. You entered the small room behind the woman to see Vader leaning against the wall, his aura sending vibes of agitation as his gaze swept between Leia and you.

“Really, Princess?” Vader’s voice cut through the thick silence. “Now you’re planning on dragging  _ her _ into our personal matters?”

You did not like Vader’s tone of voice as he addressed you. Neither did Leia as she snapped back at her father.

“Don’t call me ‘princess’ ever again. That title was ripped from me when you and Tarkin decided to blow up my home planet.”

You winced at the woman’s tone and so did Vader as guilt crossed his features and he looked away. You’ve never seen Vader look so...regretful. And you definitely did not want to be in the same room in the middle of their crossfire.

“I called you here, Commander,” Leia started, turning her attention back to you. “Because it seems Lord Vader is disagreeing with me on our next course of action. And since this is your mission and I simply tagged along I was hoping we could come up with a mutual agreement.”

You glanced back at Vader whose gaze was still turned away and then back to Organa who was watching you expectantly. You nodded for her to continue.

“It seems the patrolling ship assigned to this sector is none other than the  _ Executor _ ,” she said, crossing her arms. “And Lord Vader believes this mission is too dangerous for us to proceed. He is suggesting we split up and head back to the Rebellion while he continues with the mission.  _ Alone _ .”

“For the sake of the argument,” Vader finally responded. “This is not to undermine your capabilities, Leia or you, Commander. This has simply become too much of a risk for any of you to continue.”

“We’ve already been through this,” Leia hissed. “I am not backing out of this. If you think this is a risk then I wonder what you thought of a time when I managed to send the Death Star plans right under your nose?”

Vader growled, his eyes flashing a hint of yellow. “A foolish endeavor for sure.”

“Yet I’m still alive and managed to get them delivered to the right hands  _ and _ we managed to blow up your kriffing Death Star.”

You could see now where Leia Organa’s personality stemmed from. Her bickering and sharp tongue was up to par with Vader’s if not better than his own. You were starting to get a headache from all of this.

“That is beyond the point, Leia,” Vader’s harsh voice boomed across the tiny space. “You are foolish not to see the trap Thrawn is throwing your way. It is no coincidence that my own ship would be patrolling this sector. Regardless of what you two thought, it is obvious Thrawn is aware that I had survived. And knowing him, he will expect of me to bring all of you along. I cannot allow that.”

Your eyes widened at his statement. How could Thrawn had known Vader survived? 

“You didn’t account for Maul being in the picture and neither did I,” Vader answered your silent question. “He can feel me through the Force.”

“So you’re planning on going on your own? To spring a trap so to say?” you finally asked, looking at him.

Something unreadable crossed Vader’s face but it was gone before you could identify what it was.

“Yes, spring the trap.”

You shook your head. “Now that's what I call a reckless plan.”

“I hardly care what you call it,” Vader snapped. “This is the only way.”

“No, it’s not.”

You turned to look at Leia. “I have a plan that will involve splitting us into two groups but I would need for the rest of my team to be present to go over that.”

You turned to look at Vader who was nearly shooting daggers your way and you simply shrugged. “Trust me, you’re going to love hearing this.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone else got the reference to the ROTS Obi-Wan told Anakin as they searched for Dooku. 
> 
> Next chapter we'll get to see some one on one time between Vader and reader. Hope you enjoyed it!


	23. Arrival of the Avenger.

You were in one of the small blocked off spaces in the back of the ship that you labeled as your personal “quarters” although this looked more like a storage closet by how small and empty it looked. It didn't matter to you, you were focused entirely on what you were currently doing. That was donning your old Inquisitor armor that you brought along with you for this mission. You knew there was a chance that you’d need to infiltrate the Imperial military ship or sneak around other Imperial areas if needed. Your suit proved to be more helpful than you ever thought it would, considering you hadn’t worn that thing in over six years.

And as such it was a little too tight in some places since your body had grown more over the last few years into the developed woman’s body and not just a mere teenager you were at a time. You sighed as you tried to look over yourself to see if everything looked alright, there were no mirrors around you that you could find.

As if on cue, the sliding door opened with no warning and a large figure of Vader stepped inside, his gaze sweeping over your body. You felt your cheeks heat up, thankful that the lights were dimmed when his gaze lingered a little too long on the curves of your hips and chest. You crossed your arms over the chest, hardening your gaze as you glared at him.

“You’ve never heard of knocking before?” you snapped at him.

“I don’t find it necessary,” he replied, copying your stance.

“Right. Let’s see how you’d feel about that if it was me walking in on you while you dressed,” you rolled your eyes at him.

Vader lifted his eyebrow, giving you a strange look. “I don’t suppose that’s something you’d actually want to witness.”

His strange and off-characteristic reply made you stumble with the response you had prepared so instead you thinned your lips into a tight line and waited to hear Vader’s reason for coming to see you. 

He relaxed his stance and advanced further into the small space and stood in front of you only arms length away practically crowding over you. His next action startled you even more when he lifted his gloved hands and adjusted the collar of your suit, his hands trailing down along your shoulders as he strapped the shoulder guards. He continued his advancement, his touch a mere ghost as his hands went lower, inching towards the belt strapped to your hips and your breath hitched in your throat as you stood still, watching his face. He tugged on your belt just a little and the unexpected action made you stumble towards him, a soft gasp escaping your lips. You lifted your face towards his and your breath hitched again when Vader’s face was mere inches away from yours, his hot breath mingling with yours. The unexpected closeness sent shivers down your spine and your cheeks heated up once more from the embarrassment you felt knowing Vader could now see your earlier blush. 

“What…” your voice sounded strained even to your ears. “What are you doing?”

“For the record,” Vader started, his voice cold and uncaring as he glared down at you. “I think your plan defines all the points of what I would consider rash and careless.”

Your embarrassment ebbed away, replaced with agitation and annoyance at Vader bringing up his displeasure with your proposed plan once again. He was very adamant earlier that your plan was not going to work but was silenced into submission by Organa’s glare and the rest of your team’s agreement with you. Yet he was still obviously very displeased with these turn of events and was not hesitant to let you know while he was holding you against his body, his yellow eyes glaring at you. 

“Yes, we’ve established that already,” you responded, silently observing his Sith eyes that were unlike anything you’ve ever seen before. Their color would always change, depending on Vader’s mood. The angrier he became the more pronounced the yellowness would come out, mixing with the color of baby blue and creating an ethereal effect.

“I will not hesitate to leave you behind if you fail,” he growled, tightening his grip on your belt.

“I know that too,” you sighed. “I didn’t just decide to wear my old armor not knowing the risks it posed. I know what I’m getting myself into.”

“Do you, really?” Vader hissed in response, drawing you closer to him. “You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into. This is not a mere game.”

Your eyes flashed with anger at Vader’s condescending tone. “I’m not a  _ child _ . Don’t you dare talk to me that way. You’re not changing my mind.”

Vader calmly observed you, his face void of any expression before he swiftly released you and pushed you back from him. 

“I never said you were a child. If anything, it seems your armor fits a little  _ too _ snugly around your body for my liking. That is not the image I would want to procure as an Inquisitor.”

Your face flashed once more with heat hearing Vader utter those words. So he  _ did _ see your curves. 

“Well, my apologies for not having newer armor on hands,” you snapped at him, refusing to look at his face. 

“Regardless,” Vader continued. “Once we are aboard the  _ Executor _ you will follow my orders. Is that understood?”

You gritted your teeth but ignored the urge to snap at him when you replied with a simple “yes”. He continued to stare at you for another minute and then without another word left the small space and you breathed a sigh of relief. You tried to shake off the unidentified feeling the proximity of his body evoked from yours as you finished dressing up. You wished now, more than ever that you still had your cloak that you kept all these years that was once part of your armor. It would have done a far better job at concealing your figure. But it was a fruitless wish since it was destroyed with the attack on Mustafar along with your other personal things you brought with you to Vader's fortress. You clipped your lightsabers to your belt and picked up the helmet as you stepped out into the common area of the ship.

Several pairs of eyes immediately looked up when you entered, their expressions ranging from awe to shock to neutral. You didn’t have to see Tryon and Gavid’s faces to know that they came to the same conclusion as to what you used to be before joining the Rebellion. You glanced their way anyways and saw them staring at Vader, who was still dressed in the Inquisitor's uniform he acquired from Varlo, his own lightsaber clipped to his belt. Their thoughts rang clear in the quietness of the room, them speculating that Vader was also once an Inquisitor. Oh how far off they were on that one. Vader refused to acknowledge everyone’s gazes as he stood still against the wall, arms folded across his chest. 

You felt a curious glance from Gil but simply shook your head, silently asking him not to say anything right now. Your nerves were already shaken from the anticipation of your next step in the mission, you didn’t need another stress added trying to explain to him who you once used to be. 

“An incoming ship is about to leave a hyperspace,” announced Gil when he received a signal from the front of the cockpit. You glanced at Vader. This was it.

“Let’s get to our assigned positions then,” said Vader as he headed towards a secondary shuttle attached to the starship that you would take to get on board of the Star Destroyer. You followed Vader behind, crossing pathways with Leia Organa as she tightly smiled at you.

You all decided to stay on your starship within close proximity to Geonosis when you left the planet, anticipating that the Imperial army would be here soon, once they heard of the breach in their security systems. And since the  _ Executor _ was assigned to this sector you were all positive that’s the Star Destroyer that would arrive on the scene. And you were not wrong when you finally reached the small shuttle’s front cockpit when the Super Star Destroyer appeared in your view exiting the hyperspace.

You knew that Gil activated the sensors on the ship that would make it hard for the Empire to detect you, one of the many things he worked on in his spare time at the Rebel’s base. The idea was of course borrowed from the famous Rebel’s freighter named  _ Ghost _ a few years prior to you joining the Rebellion. The freighter was destroyed in one of the battles but its Captain, Hera Syndulla, passed on her knowledge of the illegal specs of her previous ship that Gil gladly used to modify this Imperial ship. 

You still stared in awe at the massiveness of the Super Star Destroyer in front of you, slight worry in the back of your mind that somehow the Empire would still be able to detect you. You glanced at Vader who had an unreadable look on his face and then back at the viewport. You heard that during the Battle of Endor Vader’s personal flagship sustained severe damage, almost crashing into the Death Star and then the shockwave from the explosion damaged its hyperdrive and other systems, leaving the ship hanging above Endor fully incapacitated. You hadn’t heard more of what happened to it but looking at it now you wondered how the Empire managed to fix such a monstrosity. 

“Do you miss it?” you asked, words falling from your mouth without fully comprehending what you asked until you processed them.

“It’s just a ship,” Vader responded, engaging the shuttle’s controls, readying to head over to his ex-flagship. 

“I meant your position, your role in the Empire?” you watched him closely for any signs that Vader was just playing an actor, a good one at that. You still couldn’t comprehend why he surrendered himself when he could have easily become the next Emperor after Palpatine’s death. 

Vader turned over to look at you, his gaze hard. “Is this really the time to ask these questions?”

You frowned, biting your lip, your nerves betraying you as you let your anxiety wash over Vader’s senses. Vader resumed his earlier work, conducting a series of pre-flight checks when he finally disengaged the shuttle from the starfighter and headed directly towards the  _ Executor _ . 

“There is no need to be this tense,” Vader replied, his cool touch in the Force washing over you. “Just follow my lead.”

_ Easy for you to say. _

“It’s been so long since I’ve been inside one of the Star Destroyers,” you said out loud, trying to keep your mind occupied with other things besides your thoughts of being trapped inside the enemy’s hands. “I’ve never been on anything this large though. This thing is  _ massive _ .”

The console beeped and you tensed. The Empire had finally detected your shuttle and was requesting to speak with you. Vader engaged the transmitter and a male voice immediately barked.

“This is an Imperial ground, state your business immediately or be brought aboard the ship.”

“This is Varlo,” Vader coldly stated. “I have immediate orders from the Supreme Leader to dock on your ship.”

“An Inquisitor?” the man’s voice trembled. “We have no such orders, sir.”

“Then perhaps you can explain the situation on Geonosis to him directly once he hears of it,” Vader snapped. 

There was silence on the other end when finally the man replied, “You are cleared to dock, sir.”

You finally let the air expel from your lungs, tightly holding on the back of the chair Vader was sitting in. It was another minute before you finally docked inside a very large docking hangar, white walls colliding with a black marble of the floor, creating a harsh contrast and a sense of sterility of the place. A line of stormtroopers lined both sides of the shuttle and you saw a man in black uniform approaching you, his face constricted with worry even though he tried to conceal it. 

“Who is that?” you asked Vader.

“We are about to find out,” Vader responded, shutting down the controls of the shuttle. He raised himself up, grabbing the helmet and placing it on his head. He motioned for you to do the same and you shakily put yours own. The red vision obscured your view and you shuddered, the color evoking all the bad memories you tried to suppress of what you’ve done in your past life as an Inquisitor. 

You followed Vader out into the hangar bay, stopping in front of the man who paled when he saw not one but two Inquisitors staring back at him.

“Uh, sir, this is quite an honor but I assure you it is quite unnecessary,” the man stumbled for words.

“You had received a distress signal from Geonosis,” Vader started, getting right down to business, acting like the Inquisitor he was portraying. He was actually enjoying evoking fear in the man in front of him. 

“Yes, well, we were about to investigate…” the man continued.

“The Rebels had infiltrated the secret facility,” Vader interrupted the man. “And managed to escape. What guarantee do you have that the plans are secure?”

The man paled. “We had received an unusual code in our database system,” the man trailed off.

“Which is?”

“Our system indicates that the codes are no other than that of Lord Vader, presumed to be dead,” the man gulped, sweat trickling down his brow. 

“How interesting,” Vader drawled, playing his act perfectly. “I must see them for myself. Have you informed the Supreme Leader Thrawn of this finding?”

“Uh, not yet sir, we were about to…”

“There is no need,” Vader interrupted once more. “I will relay this information to him myself. Let’s continue this conversation in one of your briefing rooms, shall we?”

The man gulped and nodded, leading both of you through the intricate designs of the flagship. You boarded the lift and soon reached the upper levels of the Star Destroyer. The man continued on forward, bringing you closer to the ship’s bridge. He stopped in front of one of the briefing rooms where you noticed more Imperial men dressed in black uniforms. They must have changed their styles from unappealing green to black, which looked much better in your opinion. 

One man dressed in white uniform appeared in front of you and Vader stopped, inclined his head towards the man. From the look of the uniform and its insignia, the man was the Grand Admiral of this flagship. You didn’t know his name but Vader did as he addressed him.

“Grand Admiral Piett,” his voice boomed across.

“Inquisitor Varlo,” Piett replied. “This is quite unexpected. But an honor to have you aboard my ship.”

“You may dispense with the pleasantries,” Vader replied, waving the man off as he circled around the room, his gaze sweeping the rest of the man.

“Clear the room. I will speak with the Grand Admiral in private.”

The men shuffled out of the room, including the one that greeted you that you still didn’t know the name of. You stayed put in the same spot, your body rigid with tension.

“Sir,” Piett started. “We have received a signal from none other than Lord Vader.”

Vader nodded his head and Piett continued. “We were under strict orders to monitor this sector from the Supreme Leader himself. He was expecting the attack to happen on Geonosis but we weren’t prepared for it to happen so soon after our capture of one of the Rebel’s Captains.”

Vader turned his head and you gaped, listening intently to what the man was saying.

“Capture of Captain Solo, I presume?” Vader asked and the Grand Admiral nodded.

“He is currently in custody aboard the Supreme Leader’s personal flagship.”

“ _ Chimaera _ ?”

Piett frowned, something unreadable crossing his face. “Uh, no sir. The Supreme Leader is on board the  _ Avenger _ .”

Vader remained still, contemplating this new information. You were not familiar with the name of the flagship.

“I see,” Vader replied, advancing towards the Grand Admiral.

“We sent the team to scout the area of the security breach on Geonosis,” the man continued, unfazed by the proximity of Vader towering over the shorter man. “And we have footage from the attack recorded by our probe droids if you’d like to see it.”

You looked at Vader, your heart beating wildly at the man’s words. Vader was wearing his Inquisitor’s armor during the attack, would they recognize it through the commotion you all caused?

“Very well,” Vader responded. “I shall see it in the privacy of one of your rooms.”

Piett once again frowned but didn’t say anything else as he led you all down the hallway away from the bridge and inside one of the rooms that looked like a regular meeting room.

“I hope this will suffice your needs, Inquisitor?”

“Yes. You are dismissed.”

Piett silently nodded his head in respect and left the room and you were left staring at Vader through the red haze of your mask, your mind whirling with question. Vader lifted his hand, silently asking for your silence as he scanned the room for any hidden cameras or listening devices. Finding none with his Force senses he dropped his hand allowing you to ask the nagging questions. 

“Solo is not on this ship!” you hissed.

“Yes, I heard the same thing you did,” Vader replied, rounding the large table and accessing the files from Geonosis.

“Now what? Our plan revolved around the possibility that he would still be aboard this ship.”

“Plan has changed,” Vader growled, replaying the footage of the attack and you watched, silently cursing when the footage focused on Vader’s face as the camera zoomed in to capture the image.

“He knows now, doesn’t he?” you asked Vader quietly.

“Thrawn had always known,” Vader replied, shutting off the footage. “He now simply has an extra piece of the information regarding my previous identity. He had always suspected that I once was Anakin Skywalker.”

“You don’t seem bothered by that even the slightest,” you responded, your annoyance leaking through your voice. 

“What’s done is done,” Vader replied as he focused on the datapad sitting in front of him, scrolling through some information. 

You groaned and started pacing around the length of the room, your mind running through potential possibilities and outcomes to your plan. You originally suggested that you and Vader would infiltrate the Star Destroyer that was bound to appear at Geonosis, posing as the Inquisitors while gathering the intel on the location of Captain Solo. You were fairly certain he would still be aboard the ship that intercepted him in this sector and if you were right then the extraction portion would fall on you while Vader distracted the high officials with him posing as Varlo. 

The rest of your team was left back on the stolen Imperial starfighter you borrowed from the Rebellion. You would use the cloaking mechanism of the ship to securely attach to one of the pods of the Star Destroyer, waiting for the signal when you retrieved Solo and then escaped before anyone realized that Solo was gone along with the two Inquisitors.

You knew your plan was reckless, Vader had told you so several times in the last few hours yet he agreed to it, knowing if anyone had a chance to pull it off would be you and him. He certainly was not going to subjugate his daughter, Leia, to anymore harm. He was already quite displeased with her at what happened back on Geonosis. And you also knew if he had to decide which life to sacrifice between yours and Leia’s, he would choose you in a heartbeat. 

But now none of this mattered as Solo was not even on this ship and you played yourself in the hand of Thrawn like Vader speculated would happen. You continued to berate yourself, your anxiety almost overwhelming you.

“ _ Stop that _ ,” Vader finally snapped. “I cannot concentrate with your loud thoughts running all over the place.”

“How can you be so  _ calm _ ?” you snapped back.

“Years of practice and the military experience would do that to you,” he replied.

You groaned once again, coming up to him and watching from behind as he continued his search for something.

“What are you doing?”

Vader did not respond, instead pulling up the information on the holo transmitter and your eyes widened when the room lighted up and you saw the Super Star Destroyer displayed right in front of your eyes.

“This is the  _ Avenger _ ,” Vader said, circling around the room to inspect the schematics of the ship. 

This was the ship you saw above Mustafar and it looked like Thrawn made it his personal flagship. You silently cursed again. How the kriffing hell were you going to get aboard that ship to rescue Solo?

Vader zoomed in on the axial cannon, observing its design. You hadn’t had a chance to look through the data you acquired on Geonosis and now was a perfect opportunity as any to actually learn more about the Super Star Destroyer. You noticed several deflector shields around the massive ship as well as information on the crew number and other schematics. Was there any flaw to its design?

“Did you find out if there are more of them out there?” you asked.

“It appears this is just a prototype,” Vader answered. “There are more of them being built on different planets scattered across the galaxy. We were just lucky enough to stumble upon one of its factories.”

“But we can find out the other locations by locating the rest of the factories,” you supplied, looking at Vader for his verbal support. “If we figure out which Star Destroyers are assigned to their specific sectors, we can ambush them.”

“You would risk losing quite a chunk of your Rebel forces this way,” he answered instead. “What we need to focus on is killing Thrawn and Maul and winning this war before these ships are finished being built.”

You were about to respond when your comlink went off. Gil was trying to contact you. Something in the Force swirled and you felt unease growing in the pit of your stomach. You answered the call anyway.

“Commander, another ship just exited the hyperspace. I’ve never seen anything like this one before.”

You swirled your head in Vader's direction, your eyes wide. “Does it have red accents along its hull and a very large cannon?”

“Can’t see the cannon,” Gil replied and his next words chilled you to your core. “But yes, I do see the red accent. The size of this ship is probably twice as large as the one you are on.”

You looked at Vader who was already rounding the table and approaching you before he spoke to the comlink. “Await the Commander’s arrival and then immediately leave. Do  _ not _ engage in combat.”

He clicked the comlink off before he grabbed your arm and practically dragged you towards the exit of the room. You exclaimed in surprise and pain from his grip but Vader did not stop until he pushed you against the door.

“Take the lift down to the lower levels, do not stop or talk to anyone until you reach the lowest level. You will be in the maintenance department, there should be no stormtroopers stationed there so it should be fairly easy for you to reach the area with escape pods.”

You gazed at Vader, your mind going blank. “What about you?”

“I will deal with Thrawn,” he replied, pressure on your arm lessening as Vader finally let go of you.

“ _ What _ ? No,” you exclaimed, as you reached out towards Vader, grabbing his arm in your vicious hold. “You cannot be serious. Thrawn knows you are no Varlo, he will kill you on sight.”

“He may certainly try,” Vader hissed, becoming agitated with you once again as precious seconds ticked by. 

You shook your head, refusing to let go. “This is a suicide. If you die the Rebellion will have zero chance of winning this war.”

“I’m quite flattered you value my life  _ so _ much to use it for your precious Rebellion,” Vader spat, yanking his arm free from your grip. “I should have died back on the Death Star instead of Luke, so perhaps it’s the will of the Force for me to face  _ my _ destiny here today. And you will not interfere in it.”

You refused to back down. “Vader,  _ please _ , there would be another time for you to settle your score with Thrawn. But now is not that time. Even you must see it.”

“Get back to your Rebel’s ship,” Vader hissed, practically pushing you out of the room and dragging you across the corridor towards the lift.

You fought him along the way, dragging your heels on the floor but to no avail. Vader was much stronger than you and you soon found yourself in front of lift doors, waiting for it to arrive.

“Vader, be reasonable,” you tried again. “Solo is on that other ship. We have to figure out a way to get to him.”

“No,” Vader barked. “You will do as I say. As soon as you board your ship you will hit the hyperspace. There would be no heroics from you today.”

“Leia will not like that,” you tried to reason with him again.

“Knock her out if you must,” Vader growled as the lift doors opened and he pushed you in. “But I’m entrusting her life into your hands and I  _ will _ hold you accountable if anything happens to her.”

The lift doors started closing and you reached out to Vader across your bond. 

_ Please be careful. And  _ try _ not to die. _

Vader’s response was a gentle sweep across your mind as the lift doors shut and then he immediately closed off the link with you, shutting you out and leaving you with a feeling of being completely alone. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I wasn't sure if there was another ship in the Star Wars universe named Avenger but I was too lazy to look it up and anyways I kinda like the name for Thrawn's personal Super Star Destroyer so I took it :p
> 
> Also, I keep forgetting that I labeled Thrawn as the Supreme Leader and not the Emperor so I had to go back and change the titles in this chapter and double checked the previous ones. So if you see another 'Emperor' reference to Thrawn let me know and I will change it. 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed it!


	24. Near death.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today marks the first month since I've started posting the story. Thank you for your support, encouragement and kudos <3

You were halfway to the meeting point with the rest of your crew when you stopped. Something in the Force swirled, an unknown presence, dark and menacing, and you shivered glancing behind your back as though expecting someone to be there. The feeling receded and you contemplated your next move. Something was telling you to turn around and go back to Vader. You knew it was a suicidal idea, one that would most likely get you killed either by Thrawn’s men or Vader himself for disobeying his orders. But even you knew the odds were not in Vader’s favor. He was still just a man, regardless of what he thought he was. You knew you had to help him.

You were lucky there were no crew members on the deck you were in so you turned around and went back the way you came from, getting closer to the lifts. You rummaged through your pockets until your fingers curled around the cloaking device and you hastily put it on. You had to tread cautiously from here on out, you weren’t even sure what to expect once you reached Vader. You did not want to give out your position to the enemy before you reached them.

You commed Gil on your way back and he immediately responded. “What’s the situation, Commander?”

“Gil, I want you to detach the ship from the _Executor_ and leave for hyperspace, immediately.”

“Uh,” Gil’s voice was unsure when you heard another muted voice in the distance that sounded very much like Organa’s.

“Gil, that’s an order,” you firmly said, finally reaching the lifts and pressing the button to the floor that would lead you to the hangar bay. 

“That might be difficult with, uh, General being right beside us. She is already...wound up.”

You sighed, closing your eyes. You knew Leia Organa was very stubborn, something you could relate to since you yourself were now defying Vader’s specific orders. But his words echoed in your head to keep her safe. And you would do just that even if it meant you had to lie.

“Tell her we found Solo,” you started. “But we ran into some problems, namely Thrawn. It is too dangerous for you to be in such close proximity to him.”

There was silence on the other end and you gritted your teeth. ”Gil, I repeat. This is an order. Get the rest of the team out of here now. Skywalker and I will figure out another way to get off this damn ship with Solo. _Trust me_.”

You ended the transmission as the lift doors opened and you thanked the Force there was no one nearby as you snuck around and about the corridors of the starship. The Force was annoyingly quiet as you neared the hangar bay and you silently hoped Gil had followed your orders and already left the zone. You weren’t sure how you were going to explain to Vader if any of your teammates and especially if Organa decided to stay. But you also were quite positive Vader was not going to listen to any of your excuses and possibly just decide to kill you for insubordination.

You hid around the corner as a few stormtroopers passed the corridor up ahead and then you snuck past the sliding doors behind them and hid around some crates and supplies stationed off to the side of the large hangar bay. Off to the distance you saw an Imperial shuttle approaching from the _Avenger_ and a lot more stormtroopers and military personnel positioned on both sides, facing each other. You saw a white uniform of the Grand Admiral in stark comparison to the tall dark figure standing next to him, Vader. 

You shuffled nervously around, inching closer to the spectacle as you hid around more crates and some small shuttles and TIE fighters. You were somewhat glad that all the focus was on the shuttle that just landed and you held your breath when the ramp finally lowered down. You weren’t sure what you were expecting but definitely not anticipating to see several of the Inquisitors leaving the shuttle first, followed by none other than Supreme Leader Thrawn himself. 

You’ve never met the said man in person before, just the holo views of him, but the Chiss was strikingly captivating, with his blue skin, red eyes and an angular face. He was quite tall too, almost the same height as Vader. He still preferred to wear a white uniform, similar to the one he used to wear as the Grand Admiral but now adorned with more insignia, finishing the look of his new status with a red cape billowing behind him. 

The effect was quite captivating if you were being honest with yourself, as four Inquisitors surrounded Thrawn, their black armor clashing against the white of Thrawn’s uniform. He stopped just before the Grand Admiral and Varlo and spoke something to Piett, his voice quiet. You strained to hear what was being said, you were still too far away to hear everything properly so you used the Force instead to sharpen your hearing. 

“I’m quite surprised to see you here, Varlo,” Thrawn’s calm voice addressed Vader as he finally regarded the man in front of him. “I was told that it was under my own orders that you’d be allowed to board this ship. How odd is that I don’t remember giving you such an order.”

You tensed, watching Vader to see what he would come up with as his answer. Vader remained quiet, despite your growing anxiety. He was so close to Thrawn, a flick of his wrist and Vader could slash the man in half and be rid of him. Yet Vader remained motionless.

“I’m even more surprised that you have wandered so far off from Cyrkon, when your specific orders were to remain there until you finished conducting business with our partners from the Black Sun.”

You frowned at that. Another crime organization was involved with Thrawn. You weren’t sure why he was working with the lowest scum in the galaxy and the thought brought you unpleasant feelings.

“But of course,” Thrawn continued. “I’m already aware of the brutal attack on Motok. You weren’t so discreet with your tactics, Lord Vader.”

You silently gasped, watching with apprehension of what would happen next. Vader was surrounded. The four Inquisitors lighted their lightsabers as the stormtroopers behind him readied their weapons, training their lasers on Vader’s exposed back. 

Grand Admiral Piett, who was standing next to Vader let out a surprised gasp, immediately backing away from the still standing figure of the Dark Lord. You felt the palpable tension rolling off waves from Thrawn and Vader staring at each other, neither of them moving.

“You’ve proven to be quite difficult to kill,” Thrawn continued, slight amusement gracing his voice. 

“A lesson you haven’t grasped during our time working together, Thrawn.” Vader’s voice finally carried across the stilled air in the hangar. 

“Oh no,” Thrawn replied. “Quite the contrary. I have learned quite a lot about you, Lord Vader. Your tactics, your strengths, your _weaknesses_.”

“I have no such things,” Vader snapped, the jab working quite well to upset him. 

“I would reconsider that then,” Thrawn replied, not bothered even the slightest that he had angered the Sith Lord in front of him. 

“Bring him out,” he said out loud, and several stormtroopers carried someone out of the shuttle, dropping him on the floor in front of Vader. Your eyes widened when you realized it was none other than Han Solo. He looked fine physically, except the bruises coloring his face you saw earlier from the attack on Motok but the air around him felt smuggish, like he was drugged, not quite there in the sense.

“I had such pleasure breaking him,” Thrawn continued, enjoyment palpable in his quiet voice. “I must thank you for your methods of interrogation that you devised during your time serving the Empire. They work so well on someone so _weak_.”

Vader remained quiet, his hidden gaze briefly scanning the sprawled figure of Solo before returning it to Thrawn.

“You must be wondering how Captain Solo plays a role in all of this,” Thrawn continued. “I don’t suppose you’d be the one explaining to your dear Leia Organa how her own father failed to save the love of her life. She would _hate_ you even more after you failed to save your own son.”

Something unintelligible came out of Vader that sounded like an animal growl before he swiftly grabbed his lightsaber and would have struck Thrawn if it wasn’t for the Inquisitors stepping in, blocking his vicious attack. 

“Ah, so I was right. Your emotions are your weakness, Lord Vader.” Thrawn continued, unfazed by the red blades being mere inches from his face. “That has not changed over the years, if I remember correctly your previous life as the Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker. You had been a very unorthodox Jedi of your time.”

You felt warnings in the Force, Vader preparing to unleash hell upon this place as he gathered the Force around him. The Inquisitors tensed, surrounding him from all sides as Thrawn stepped away from the ticking bomb that was Vader.

“You’re more of a fool than I took you for,” Vader growled. “There is no greater power than the Force itself.”

“I don’t doubt that,” Thrawn replied, his features forming into a smirk as he stepped aside, to let another figure come down the shuttle, its presence unknown to you until the veil lifted and you were assaulted by the raw hate, anger and power radiating off the figure that you recognized from the holo Vader played back on Motok. This is the presence you felt back on the lower levels of the Star Destroyer. 

“And we finally meet again, Darth Vader,” the male voice hissed, igniting his red double-bladed lightsaber.

“Maul,” Vader sneered, not bestowing the other man with the same title as Darth which aggravated the Zabrak male as his eyes narrowed. 

“I will kill you this time,” Vader continued, changing the stance of his body, ready for the incoming attack. 

Silence followed, tension palpable across the space and then in the blink of an eye Vader turned and used the Force to push the Inquisitors aside as well as the stormtroopers before he lunged towards Maul. Vader’s blade twirled around, each time the swings of it nearing the other male but with the practiced precision the Zabrak managed to parry each and every one of Vader’s assaults. 

You watched in awe and horror at the speed and intensity of their battle. This was on a whole different level than the battle you witnessed back on Mustafar against the Grand Inquisitor. Maul was obviously more skilled in his combat skills, his double-bladed lightsaber a danger to those that didn’t know how to parry his attacks. It was a whirl of red around him, his acrobatic skills also playing a major role in how Maul attacked and defended against Vader’s attacks.

You’ve watched Vader once before, wearing his armored suit and even then you thought he was fast and graceful in his movements, despite the heavy weight of the armor. Now, without the inhibition of the suit, Vader was gliding across the space, his movements even more refined and faster than you’ve ever seen them. He was combining the styles of his attacks with the form he used as Vader, as well as his forms used when he was a Jedi, aggressive with powerful attacks and defence and immediate counterattacks.

You were no match for either of the men but your focus was drawn to the Inquisitors, finally regaining their mobility after being thrown unceremoniously on the floor. As well as stormtroopers, the ones that were left alive that weren’t killed by Vader’s Force push. You had hope that Vader could beat them all with his sheer strength and resolve but his focus was entirely on Maul. You gritted your teeth, reminding yourself that Vader was still just a man, and he _could_ be killed.

The Force screamed in warning as two Inquisitors approached Vader from behind and he felt them before they managed to strike him with their blades, jumping out of the way just in time. Maul anticipated the move and swung the blade towards Vader and you screamed in horror as it scorched his helmet, leaving an open gash on the side of it. You were on your feet in seconds, running full speed towards the Inquisitors, the hilt of your own lightsabers drawn to your hands.

You ignited your blades, throwing one at the line of stormtroopers, guiding it with the Force as it cut across their bodies in full circle before returning to your hand and then you were surrounded by the Inquisitors, evading their attacks with your own. Your heart frantically beat in your own chest, the anxiety and fear pulsing strong around you but you gritted your teeth, concentrating on the battle in front of you. Now was not the time to be careless and think of other things. You let the Force guide you as you swung your yellow blades, parring the attacks and then returning the gesture with your own.

You preferred form VI in your attacks, wielding both lightsabers as well as combining the Ataru combat form to aid you in your evasion and attacks, using Force-assisted acrobatics. You were once considered one of the best in using both of the combat forms, something a lot of Force users had difficulty with trying and mastering the use of both lightsabers. You were fast and agile, and even though you lacked the strength in your attacks you compensated that with the speed of your swings. 

You twirled the blades around you, creating a whirlwind of deadly swings as you finally landed a killing blow on one of the Inquisitors who did not anticipate your speed. You quickly jumped to the side and away from the attacks the other three Inquisitors had thrown your way. You had to finish this quickly, just the sheer amount of using Force-assisted acrobatics was going to tire you out soon enough against so many opponents. Not to mention the lack of practice in the last six years, although your body was moving on autopilot, remembering all the movements like it was yesterday. 

You allowed a quick glance to the side to see Vader back on his feet, helmet torn off his head as another scar littered the side of his face from the heat of Maul’s blade. His face was scowled in angry frown, his gaze focused on Maul. Muscles on his cheeks and neck bulging from the tension rolling of his body. You sighed in relief to see he was unfazed by the lucky strike from Maul. 

You felt another warning in the Force and managed to block two strikes from the Inquisitors, your focus back on the enemy in front of you. 

“If I were you,” one of them taunted you. “I wouldn’t tear your gaze off of us even for a second.”

“I would say the same about you,” you responded and then leapt in the air, avoiding another attack from behind you as you brought both of your blades in the arc and striked the second Inquisitor across the back in the powerful attack. 

You rolled off to the side to avoid swings of the remaining two Inquisitors, their anger directed at you for killing their comrades. 

“Traitor!” one of them screamed at you.

“You will pay for what you’ve done,” the other one hissed.

You continued your battle, your focus entirely on the two blades in front of you as you continued to parr them. Their tactics changed, using sheer strength to try and overpower you. They realized the weakness of your own form, as you hissed from an incredible strength from one of their attacks, reverberating through your whole arm. 

Just when you thought you found an opening to one of them you screamed in surprise as an invisible hold wrapped around your throat, cutting off the supply of oxygen and you wavered in your step. You realized a second later that you wouldn’t be able to block the next attack even if you could, as your vision darkened.

What came as a surprise was the figure of Vader stepping in front of you out of nowhere, blocking their blades with his own and then using the Force to swing them across the hangar with enough strength to knock both of them unconscious. 

The pressure was still on your throat and you dropped both of your blades, scratching at the invisible hold on your throat. You glanced to the side to see Maul with malicious glaze in his eyes with his hand extended in a firm grip as he continued to choke you.

“So predictable,” taunted Maul as he finally released you and you fell on your knees, gasping for breath. Your head hurt from lack of oxygen, your vision still blurry as you continued to take huge intakes of breath, your throat sore from the attack. 

“A cheap move,” Vader replied next to you. 

“But one you enjoy implementing yourself,” Maul continued. 

“How interesting,” Thrawn’s voice finally cut through, silent through the whole ordeal during the intense battle. “To see you, Lord Vader, defending someone other than yourself.”

“You have lost,” Vader replied instead, ignoring the taunt thrown his way. “Once I kill Maul, you will be next.”

“I have other plans,” Thrawn replied and you lifted your head to see him smiling. “You have not won, Lord Vader. And neither have I lost.”

More troopers entered the area, surrounding you and Vader in a large circle with Maul standing off to the side. 

“You will surrender yourself,” Thrawn continued. “In exchange I am willing to grant one of them to leave alive.”

He motioned between you and Solo as his smile widened. “I would choose carefully, Lord Vader.”

You stared wide eyed at the Chiss male, your head finally clear from the attack. You were somewhat amazed that Thrawn was able to outmaneuver Vader and trap him in the corner. You scoffed at that. Of course Vader would decide to have Solo leave, you were just collateral damage after all and Vader already announced that he was not afraid to die here if it was his destiny. 

Yet Vader remained silent and you lifted your head to look at him. His face was unreadable as his eyes blazed bright yellow, concentrating his gaze on Thrawn. You felt a familiar cool presence enveloping you as Vader finally opened up the link that connected you to him and you heard his voice inside your head.

_As soon as I give you a signal, take Solo with you and leave on the shuttle we arrived on._

You kept your face neutral, lest Maul or Thrawn figure out you were communicating with Vader. 

_What about you?_

Vader did not respond, instead raising his lightsaber in the attack position, drawing the attention of the stormtroopers as they readied their blasters.

“I choose neither,” Vader responded to Thrawn's earlier question.

“A poor choice indeed,” Thrawn replied and then signaled for the troopers to fire.

The blasts of fire neared you from all over and you tensed up, anticipating immense pain from the blasts hitting you. Instead the laser bolts froze in the air near you and Vader, flickering and trembling as through something was preventing them from hitting their target. You looked up to see Vader standing still, with his other hand extended in front of him as he used the Force shield around you two to keep the blasts from hitting you. He frowned in concentration and then with a flick of his wrist sent the laser bolts to their respective owners, hitting the stormtroopers square in the chest and killing them immediately. Vader single-handedly destroyed the whole battalion of troopers in one single move.

_Now_.

His voice was a command and you scrambled to your feet, picking up your dropped weapons and rushing towards the collapsed figure of Solo amidst the dead soldiers littering the floor. You heard more shouting coming from behind you as more troopers entered the hangar bay and you cursed, seeing as there was no stop to their advances.

Maul ended up next to Thrawn during Vader’s attack, shielding him with his own Force shield from the stray blasts. Neither of them paid much attention to you as you dragged Solo’s limp body across the floor towards the shuttle that to your relief was unharmed in the process of the crossfire. You managed to lay his body on the floor of the ship and engage the controls of the shuttle in mere seconds as more blasts and fire rang around the open space.

You ran out of the shuttle, waiting for Vader but he seemed to be intensely focused on the attacks around him, relying heavily on the Force shield to stave off the troopers’ blasts of fire.

_Vader, we need to go. Now_. You sent your message across your link to him. 

_I told you to leave_. Vader snapped back, once again using the Force to kill off the next batch of troopers as more continued to file in, one after the other. 

You refused to leave him and he didn’t need for you to say anything as he felt your determination through the Force. You were about to join him when you saw red flash sneaking up behind Vader and you screamed for him to turn. Vader’s concentration wavered, as he blocked off Maul’s attack, in turn breaking the Force shield as some blasts managed to reach Vader and he groaned in pain, collapsing on the floor and in turn dropping his own lightsaber when one of the blasts hit his right arm. 

You used whatever was left of your own Force to push the blasts away from Vader, and then engaged the explosives you managed to attach to some crates and TIE fighters while you were hiding, the explosions rattling the whole place and knocking the stormtroopers from their feet. You used the Force to throw Vader’s still ignited lightsaber at Maul, who managed to dock and side step away from Vader kneeling on the floor and you wasted no time using the Force to drag him across the hangar bay to you. You used your other hand in blocking some strays of fire directed at you while you dragged Vader’s body inside the shuttle.

You’ve never flown so recklessly in your life but the situation warranted for you to make some impulsive decisions as you engaged the hyperdrive before you even left the hangar bay, praying to the Force there would be no obstacles in your way, and especially not the Super Star Destroyer, _Avenger_. It was only after a minute of complete silence once the familiar blue and white streaks of stars appeared around you that you realized you were finally safe in hyperspace.

You rushed back towards Vader, who was hunched against the wall of the shuttle next to the still unconscious Solo and you tore off your mask to finally assess the injuries on both men. You couldn’t see anything wrong with Solo but his muffled presence bothered you until your eyes landed on Vader. His face was contorted in pain, his teeth gritted and eyes shut closed when you saw several holes in his Inquisitor’s armor, smoke coming out of them and some of the blood starting to pool around his form. He was injured, but to what extent you weren’t sure.

“Kriff,” you muttered, trying to reach his form when his yellow eyes snapped open, glaring at you.

“I told you,” he gasped in pain. “To _leave_.”

You weren’t sure if he referred to the order he gave you before his meeting with Thrawn or the order to get you and Solo out while he was still fighting. Regardless, you could feel how much Vader was angry at your outright disobedience. 

You shook your head instead. “If I left you would have ended up _dead_.”

Vader’s eyes flashed with more anger, his mood souring completely as he tried to get up but failed when the injuries proved to be too much for his body and he groaned in pain. 

“Stay still,” you shouted, placing your hands on his shoulders and leaning him against the wall. “I need to assess your wounds, help me take this armor off.”

“I do not need your help,” he hissed instead, struggling against your hold.

“Vader,” you tried to calm your voice, agitated at his stubbornness once again. “You’re obviously hurt even though you are trying to hide it. I need to see how serious these injuries are and if it warrants for us to take a detour to a medical facility.”

Vader did not respond, instead closing his eyes and gritting his teeth. You took it as a permission to continue as you carefully started to take off the shoulder guards and the belt, searching for the zipper that would allow you to take the upper portion of the Inquisitor’s suit. You found it off to the side and undid it. You had to take off his gloves in order to take off the suit and as you started to tug on them Vader once again struggled against your hold.

“Vader, I’m just…”

“I can do this myself,” he snapped, interrupting you as he tugged off his gloves, revealing the hard wire and metal appendages of his robotic hands and your eyes widened in surprise. You suspected that one of his hands was metal but not both and he caught your gaze with one of his own, his Sith eyes glaring at you.

“Are you done gawking?” he growled and you were put off by the tone in his voice.

“I’m not… I wasn’t…” you stammered but Vader was already trying to take off the suit, struggling with the tightness of the material against his chest and you reached for him once again, helping to take off the black suit over his head.

The sight of his skin almost made you gasp out loud. The scars were even more prominent on his chest and torso from the fires of Mustafar, with one very deep and angry scar more prominent in the middle of his chest where you suspected the chest box of his support suit used to be attached to. His body was still chiseled considering the fact he was a middle-aged man, the many years fighting the war for the Jedi and then the Emperor had a profound effect on the muscles of his body, each of them rippling with Vader’s movements. Your eyes briefly scanned the robotic appendages of his arms, one of them reaching above his elbow, its metal digging into Vader’s mangled flesh and you wondered why the doctor on Taris did not fix this portion of his body. 

You didn’t want to be caught staring again so you instead focused on the wounds from the blasters’ fire, several of them littering Vader’s skin with burn marks. Some of them looked much deeper, with blood leaking around the wounds and the overall appearance of Vader convinced you that he indeed needed medical attention.

Vader leaned his head back, closing his eyes and trying to catch his breath after the exertion of pulling off the suit. You continued watching his face, immediately feeling guilty for your earlier words to him. You wanted to talk to him but first you had to figure out where you’d take Vader and Solo to get treated. You went back to the front of the shuttle, looking through its navigational system to figure out the closest system to your location but far enough from Geonosis. You stumbled upon an asteroid field in the Subterrel sector in the Outer Rim, not far off from the Arkanis sector you left from and the medical facility located on Polis Massa. This would have to do for now as you plugged in the hyperspace coordinates in the computer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope I managed to portray Thrawn's personality well enough to your liking. To be honest I've only finished watching half of the second season of Star Wars Rebels and didn't get to the season with Thrawn just yet. But I did watch the youtube clips of all his appearances as well as reading up on him on Wookieepedia. To me he is a very calm individual but with a strategic mind. I might change some aspects of his personality later on, after all this is canon divergence. 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter. The next two are my favorite! We get to *finally* witness some acknowledgment of their feelings towards one another. <3


	25. The apology.

The doctors did not question the results of the attack visible on Vader’s body as they took him and Solo inside their medical facility. You ventured behind them, cautious of any possible traps but finding none you let yourself relax as you yourself were examined by one of the droids. Mere scratches and burns littered your body as well as the dark bruise swelling around your neck, product of Maul’s strangling. 

You were given a set of clean clothes and you gladly took them, getting rid of the tight body suit of the Inquisitor’s uniform. You also took a quick shower, washing away the sweat and blood permeating your skin and you felt much better once you finished your basic hygiene needs. 

You wandered through the hallway to the next medical room where Solo was treated. The droids were performing several scans on his body and you found one of the doctors watching the screens intently.

“Is there something wrong with him?” you asked the male Human doctor by the name of Darro Dean. 

“There is nothing physically wrong with his body,” the doctor answered. “But the brain scans show us that there had been damage done to his mental state.”

You frowned at that. “How?”

“I must say, this is the first time I’ve witnessed this myself but I have heard of this type of trauma inflicted only by those that possess the capability to destroy someone’s mind with special techniques.”

Force interrogation. Your eyes widened at what the doctor was trying to tell you. The Inquisitors were known to employ this type of interrogation technique on top of using the torture droids to acquire information. The same technique Vader was first known for doing and then later implementing that technique to every Inquisitor he taught. If that was the case then Solo’s mind could be beyond repair and you shuddered at that thought. 

“How bad is the damage?” you asked the doctor.

“We shall know more information once the scans are complete,” the doctor replied, looking at you with sympathy in his kind eyes. You feared the worst and you knew the doctor was suspecting the same thing. 

You excused yourself from the room, your mind wandering with the many questions but no answers to any of them. You felt your headache returning as you rubbed your eyes with your hand, expelling a sigh. You felt you should at least contact Gil and Organa and let them know of your somewhat successful mission but you were too tired to try and explain that Solo might never be the same ever again. 

You wandered aimlessly into another medical room with Vader sitting on the medical gurney being scanned by the droids and patched up with bacta patches and treated some of his larger wounds with some sort of spray while another doctor was carefully examining something on Vader’s back that you couldn’t see.

“You were lucky the blast did not hit the other side,” the doctor continued the conversation with Vader that you interrupted with your presence when they both turned to look at you.

Vader scowled his face, his gaze swiftly sweeping across the bruises on your neck, but said nothing and since the doctor did not order you to leave you stayed in the corner of the room, observing Vader’s physique now that he was completely out of the Inquisitor’s armor. He was covered by a sheet draped across his hips, the only thing that shielded his nakedness from your eyes. His feet were firmly placed on the cold floor of the room and you once again were surprised to see that even his legs were made out of metal, the prosthetics going as far as past his knees. You saw more scars littering the upper portions of his legs, the damage obviously more severe below his torso and somehow your thought turned around and you wondered what laid under the sheet covering him. Your cheeks heated up from the embarrassment, praying your thoughts weren’t so loud that Vader actually heard them but from the look on his face he was completely ignoring you. 

“The pain should subside,” the doctor finally said as he finished up dressing the wound on Vader’s back. “I would recommend for you to rest until most of your wounds closed up. No strenuous activity either.”

Vader did not respond and the doctor frowned but left the room without saying anything else. You were left with just Vader and the droids finishing up their clean up and you felt more awkward than ever now that you had a chance to talk to him.

You made a move to approach Vader and he suddenly shifted on the medical bed, turning the full front of his body to your view, effectively hiding his back and whatever it was the doctor was looking at. You frowned at that but decided to ignore the obvious display that Vader was trying to hide his injuries from you. 

You cleared your throat and decided to just get on with whatever you’ve been wanting to tell Vader back on the shuttle.

“I’m sorry,” you blurted out and cringed at yourself. This was not how you planned to start this conversation with.

“Elaborate,” Vader finally responded, his gaze boring into yours and you fought hard trying not to fidget on the spot from the intensity of his gaze. 

You folded arms across your chest, feeling a little secure before continuing. “I realized that I came across as uncaring the last time we talked.”

Vader frowned. “What are you talking about?”

“When I told you that if you died the Rebellion would have zero chance of winning this war,” you sighed. “That’s not what I meant. I didn’t mean it like  _ that _ .”

Vader’s frown worsened. “What are you trying to say?”

You sighed again. “I mean that you’re a person, not a tool to be used against the enemy. And that I may have offended you.”

Vader continued to stare at you and you couldn’t help yourself when you finally fidgeted from your growing anxiety. 

“Is that all?” he finally asked, sounding haughty. 

“What do you mean?” now it was your turn to be confused.

“You came here to apologize for a mere offense that I don’t even care about,” Vader snapped. “While you should be explaining yourself why you refused to listen to my direct orders, not once but twice in the same hour.”

Vader was practically yelling now, the rasp in his voice more pronounced the more he worked up from the strain. You flinched at the unexpected harshness directed at you.

“I am not going to apologize for that,” you gritted through your clenched teeth. 

“I do not want your apologies,” Vader continued in the same tone. “I want to hear  _ why _ you disobeyed me before I decide to snap your neck.”

Now it was your turn to be angry at him as you marched closer to him, hissing in your response. “Are you that arrogant that you couldn’t even see that you were going to  _ die _ there? You are not invincible, regardless of what you think. You get injured and hurt just as any other man. Look for yourself at what happened to you.”

You raised your voice at him and Vader’s eyes flashed with a glint of warning in them as he growled before his metal hands grabbed your arms, holding them in tight grip as he yanked you hard toward his body. You yelped in surprise when your knees collided with his own and you hissed in pain from the bruises your own knees would display later on from being so forcefully pushed against his metal ones. 

“You foolish woman,” Vader hissed in your face. “If it wasn’t for you I would have killed Maul and Thrawn and destroyed the kriffing ship and saved your Captain all by myself. I had  _ everything _ under control.”

You weren’t going to back down from this argument. “That’s not what it looked like to me.”

Vader’s response was to tighten his hold on you and you winced once again from the pain he inflicted on you.

“If you really believed that,” you continued. “Then you should have let Maul kill me instead.”

Something crossed his face and Vader’s glare softened. You weren’t going to pass up the opportunity to ask him about that though.

“Why did you save me?”

Vader frowned, his hold on you lessening. “It was nothing more than me improvising my plan. You showed up and I had to keep you alive to get Solo off the ship. Don’t assume it was for any other reason.”

You watched his face, the truth in his words hurting you more than you thought they should. When did you start to care what Vader thought of you? You averted your gaze from his face.

Vader finally let you go, dropping your hands from his grip and you rubbed the spot where the bruises were already forming, angry purple welts from the pressure of his digits.

“You really should learn to control your strength,” you growled at him. 

“Do not test my patience,” Vader snapped. “I am still considering killing you.”

Perhaps it was the tone in his voice, or the words themselves, or the fact that merely a few hours ago you thought you really were going to die but something in you snapped and without warning you turned around and stalked across the room, ready to leave before you did another reckless thing in the midst of your anger. You reached the door but were stopped by the invisible hold on you coming from Vader and your anger flared at the man. You weren’t even sure how you did it but you managed to throw several medical equipment and datapas his way while he simply stopped them with the wave of his hand.

“And you should really learn to control your temper,” Vader responded.

“Let. Me. Go.” you hissed, glaring at him. “I will wring your neck, you  _ kriffing _ bastard.”

“Such passion,” Vader mocked, refusing to let you go. “You’d make a fine Sith apprentice.”

You growled at him and he let the Force leave its hold on you. You wasted no time as you stalked back to him, ready to fight him bare handed. You raised your hand, prepared to hit his arrogant face when he stopped you once again, raising himself to the full height from the gurney and stopping your advances with his hands, this time holding you more gently in his grip while you continued to thrash in his hold. 

“Do you not understand how worried I was?” you finally screamed, tired of trying to get out of his steeled grip. “I really thought you were going to die. That we all were going to die. I couldn’t just let that happen. And when I saw Maul slashing at you I just...I couldn’t sit still and witness all that without doing  _ something _ .”

You felt tears pricking your eyes but you continued on with your tirade. “Perhaps you don’t care what happens to other people. But there are others who care what happens to you. Don’t you dare try to throw your life away for a reckless stunt or heroism or redemption for your previous sins, whatever you want to call it. I was  _ not _ going to let you  _ die _ .”

You watched Vader’s face morph into shock, his eyes finally changing their yellow color to the blue you found you really liked. Vader finally replied after what seemed like an hour of silence. “I wasn’t planning on dying.”

That was not the response you were expecting and it aggravated you even more. When you were about to tell Vader off he did something unexpected, managing to freeze you in your spot as he lifted one of his hands and gently swept his metal fingers across your neck, the coolness of his touch feeling like a reprieve against the swells of the bruises adorning your neck.

“You were foolish to try and intervene,” Vader finally said after his eyes swept across your face, searching for something. 

“But,” he started when he saw you were about to protest again. “I did realize that without your involvement the situation would have resulted in a different outcome, even if such meddling was unwarranted.”

You frowned at Vader’s choice of words. Was he trying to apologize for his earlier fit of rage at you? Your attention snapped back at him when you felt a cool sensation enveloping your senses and the pain from your neck slowly ebbed away.

You gasped in surprise, bringing your now freed hands to your neck and feeling the smooth surface. The swelling, along with the pain were gone and you lifted your face to Vader’s, the surprise still evident on your face.

“I didn’t know you could do that,” you whispered.

“I can do a lot of things,” he replied, arrogance back in his voice. 

You scoffed at that but Vader continued to watch you, his hard gaze unsettling you. He was way too close to you, the heat of his body radiating off of him and his muscular chest pretty much being in the line of your sight. You wished he actually put some clothes on until you saw the sheet that covered the lower portion of his body laying on the floor from when Vader hastily raised himself from the gurney to try and apprehend you in your frenzied state. 

Your cheeks flared up in heat, your earlier wonder at what lay under the sheet when you first walked in the room echoing loud and clear in your head. You gasped and nearly pushed him away, stumbling from the naked Sith Lord in front of you as you shut your eyes and nearly shrieked at Vader.

“Would you  _ please _ put some  _ kriffing _ clothes on?”

You felt dark amusement rolling off Vader and then some shuffling as he was putting on the clothes provided to him by the medical facility. 

“You can open your eyes now,” you finally heard him say, amusement clear in his voice and you slowly opened them to see him wearing some loose clothing, much lighter in color than what you were used to seeing him in. 

He was still regarding you with a hard gaze in his eyes as before, something unintelligible crossing his face. He crossed his arms over the chest as he shifted his posture, now looking more like a parent who was about to scold their child.

“You need more training,” he finally said and you were left speechless. These were not the words you were expecting to hear from him.

“If you expect to fight by my side,” Vader continued with the lecturing tone. “I expect you to be in top shape, both physically, mentally and in the Force. Right now, you are more of a hindrance than anything else.”

You bristled at that insult but Vader continued. “I cannot allow myself to be distracted fighting while you are being choked to death.”

“That was…” you trailed off, not knowing what exactly you were trying to say. You settled with the next word that came to your mind. “An accident.”

“An  _ accident _ ?” Vader hissed, stepping closer to you. “You think this was merely an accident?”

“I didn’t mean it like that…” you started but were interrupted by Vader once again.

“What the kriffing hell did you think it was?” he snapped, towering over you as his eyes flashed with yellow specks. “You thought you were simply unlucky to be caught by the Force choke? You thought Maul had shown you mercy? He  _ would _ have killed you. He was simply toying with you trying to gauge my reaction.”

“Well it’s not like it worked,” you snapped back at him, tired of his patronizing tone. 

Vader’s eyes flashed. “It worked well enough,” he snapped back. “It worked well enough that now both Maul and Thrawn think you’re my liability, a  _ weakness _ .”

You were startled and surprised by that outburst. 

“And now both of them will be after you as well,” he continued. “You’ve put yourself into this position. I will not be there to save you every kriffing time you’ve managed to get yourself into trouble.”

“I don’t need your help,” you practically growled at the man in front of you. His words were humiliating to you as he continued his tirade.

“Oh  _ really _ ?” he drawled. “Perhaps you can tell me that once you’ve managed to land a single blow on me. Until then, you will be trained. By me.”

“No,” you hissed.

“You don’t have a say in this,” he replied.

“Yes. I do.” you slowly said, pronouncing each syllable. “I am not about to take lessons from a kriffing criminal fugitive and a Sith Lord. I’ve had enough of my own share being involved with the Dark Side users, I don’t need  _ you _ corrupting me as well.”

Vader’s eyes narrowed. “You have no chance of beating Maul with the level your skills are now. Your sheer luck was the only thing keeping you alive fighting the Inquisitors.  _ And _ my help.”

“We shall see,” you replied back, ready to turn around and leave the room and the humiliating conversation behind.

“Kriff it woman,” Vader growled, grabbing you by the upper arm and turning you around to face him once again. “Did you not see the bruises on your neck?”

“Don’t tell me you wouldn’t have done the same thing,” you snidely replied. “I thought choking was  _ your _ specialty.”

You were cruel with your words but you didn’t care. You let Vader know exactly what you thought of his choking habits through the mental link with him. You hated the man for him using the Force as a tool for such a vulgar technique. Your memory of seeing Vader choking his own wife appeared before your eyes and you knew he saw the memory as well when his face twisted in pain. 

Vader tugged you closer to him and you stumbled in your step as he brought his face closer to yours, his gaze filled with unknown emotion. 

“You may not believe me,” he slowly started, his voice tense. “But seeing these bruises on your neck made me feel things I haven’t felt in a long time. I would rather  _ not _ experience that again.”

You frowned, confused by his words. What did he mean by that? What things was he talking about? You had more questions than answers and you already knew Vader was not going to elaborate more on his earlier statement. 

“You must learn to counter-attack a strong Force user to prevent such things from happening ever again,” Vader continued. “I will teach you the ways of the Force.”

He saw you about to protest and he sighed. “I won’t teach you the Dark Side. But you need to complete your training to become a strong enough opponent to withstand Maul's attacks. Only then will I allow you to fight by my side.”

You scowled. “You know this isn’t about you, right?”

Vader’s glare intensified. “I know. But something is telling me you and I are bound by the Force and you will be a repeated annoyance at my side for the duration of our time together. This is my way of ensuring we both get what we want.”

You considered his words, realizing it was pointless to argue with him when Vader set his mind on something and refused to budge. You knew he was right in the regard of you needing training but you weren’t sure how you felt about Vader, of all people, training you. You’ve heard of his uncanny and cruel ways of training the Inquisitors when Palpatine first introduced the Dark Force users to his apprentice. And you weren’t looking forward to that part of the training at all and it showed on your face.

You didn’t get the chance to answer him when the sliding door to the room opened and you saw Doctor Dean standing on the opposite side of it, his gaze immediately landing on you and Vader.

“The scans are finally complete,” he announced and you tensed, catching the attention of Vader who was still holding on to you. 

You felt his questioning gaze on you and you sighed. “It’s Solo,” you started. “It appears he was subjected to some intense methods of interrogation which wreaked havoc on his mind.”

You didn’t have to tell Vader exactly  _ which _ interrogation Solo was subjected to. Vader was all too familiar with the Force interrogation. He narrowed his eyes but said nothing, instead turning his head to the doctor.

“I’m afraid the damage done to his psychological state is too severe,” the doctor continued and your worst fears were confirmed. 

You knew the human mind was a fragile thing and easily breakable. A non-Force individual barely had any luck withstanding the power of the interrogation from a Force user. You’ve never heard of anyone recovering from such an assault on their mind. But that was usually because the Empire would simply eliminate the individual once they extracted the valuable information after thoroughly crippling that person.

Vader finally released you from his hold and turned his full attention to the doctor. “I will see this for myself.”

The doctor frowned at Vader’s choice of words but said nothing as he led you and Vader back to the medical room Solo was currently occupying.

“Here are the scans,” the doctor presented the datapad to Vader but the Dark Lord simply ignored him and continued further into the room which earned another perplexed look from the doctor.

“Would you mind giving us a moment?” you quietly asked, eyeing Vader from the corner of your eye as he approached Solo’s medical bed and now stood next to the unconscious man. 

The doctor hesitated for a moment but then nodded his head and exited the room, leaving you and Vader alone in the presence of Solo, whose body was lying motionless on the gurney. You slowly approached Vader, curious of what he would do next.

Vader lifted one of his arms, placing a metal hand on Solo’s temple and you couldn’t help yourself.

“What are you doing?” you asked, eyeing Vader from the other side of the gurney. 

“There are ways to repair someone’s mind,” Vader replied, his entire focus on the unconscious man in front of him.

That was news to you and your eyes widened. “And you can do that?” you asked with hopefulness in your voice.

“Didn’t I say I can do a lot of things?” he replied, arrogance practically leaking off Vader. 

“I will believe you once I see it with my own eyes,” you simply replied.

“It will take time,” Vader warned, his eyes briefly meeting yours. “If the damage is severe the process to repair someone’s mind can take weeks if not months.”

You frowned at that. You didn’t have weeks and definitely not months. You had to get back to the Rebellion. You had to find out what information Thrawn was able to extract from Solo. 

“I doubt that’s the answer Leia Organa would want to hear,” you said, receiving glare from Vader. 

“I will do what I can,” he finally replied, closing his eyes.

You watched his face in silence, somewhat captivated by the hard lines adorning his features. You never truly considered how old Vader really was. Old enough to have a daughter your age. But every time you looked at him you’d simply forget the simple fact that he was a much older man compared to you. He had half a life’s experience ahead of you and he wasn’t like one of the guys of your age back at the base chasing after women and trying to get them in bed for pure one night bliss. You didn’t think Vader was  _ that _ kind of man. 

You briefly wondered what his  _ other _ self, Anakin was like, before he turned into the Sith Lord. You remembered seeing his features briefly in the vision, how captivating and gorgeous he looked before the fires of Mustafar took it all away. You could guess he was a heartthrob, most likely catching the attention of a lot of women.

But even with the accident and the recent reconstructive surgery, his features were still captivating enough to stop people and stare at him. For different kinds of reasons. The years of hard life living in the life support suit and fighting war on a daily basis had hardened him, turning once soft and delicate aspects of his old features into the coarse individual he was now. His eyes alone and their hard gaze could make anyone shiver from their intensity. 

Your gaze inadvertently shifted to his lips pressed in a thin line as Vader concentrated on the task before him. The crust from the fires of Mustafar that was there before was gone, scars that used to litter them were now replaced by the soft and full lips, colorful against the paleness of his skin and you wondered how they would feel against your own if you had a chance to experience such a feeling. You almost choked in mortification on your absurd thoughts, your cheeks coloring from the heat as you glanced up to see that Vader’s eyes were still closed. 

You sighed in relief, grateful that Vader was not aware of your ludicrous thoughts until you heard Vader’s distinct voice in your head, freezing you in your spot.

_ Your thoughts never cease to amaze me. _

You gaped at Vader with your mouth open, mortified that he  _ was _ listening in on your thoughts. You tried to form coherent thoughts to reply back but nothing seemed to come to your mind so you stayed silent staring at the man in front of you. 

_ Lesson one _ , you heard him say.  _ You will work on your shields while I’m working on repairing Solo’s mind. Your presence here only serves as a distraction to my concentration. Find a place to meditate away from here. I will check your shields once I’m done. _

You couldn’t even answer back, embarrassed at being caught as you hurriedly left the medical room and headed to yours, silently berating yourself for letting yourself be open to Vader’s invasions. You seriously had to work on that. You couldn’t let him know all of your private thoughts, and especially considering that most of these thoughts revolved around the Sith Lord. You didn’t even realize when you started thinking of him like  _ that _ . 

It took you awhile to get yourself calm to attempt to get into a meditative state but once you did you spent many hours working on rebuilding your mental shields, reinforcing the walls around your thoughts and pushing the ones of Vader as far back into your mind as you could. You couldn’t deal with letting another embarrassing episode happen in front of him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I rewrote certain parts of Vader's and reader's conversation perhaps three if not more times until I was satisfied with the results. There is certainly a lot of tension between the two for a lot of reasons. We are finally starting to see the reader's thought changing in regards to Vader and she is still somewhat clueless as to what it all means. It will be explained more in the next chapter :) 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed it <3


	26. Kriffing hell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I felt this was a much needed chapter, written from Vader's POV to progress the story and the relationship between him and the reader. It is almost impossible to portray Vader's feelings and emotions by just writing from the reader's POV since we have no clue what's going on in Vader's head. Well now we do :)
> 
> This was a very solid chapter with practically limited dialogue and I spent a great amount of time perfecting it until I was happy with how it turned out. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it :p I know you all were waiting for something to happen, so here it is. 
> 
> Also, Happy Father's Day! I'm looking forward to hearing what you all thought of this chapter. Enjoy <3

Vader’s POV

He closed his eyes, concentrating on the task before him. He easily slid into the broken damage of what was left of Solo’s mind, trying to sum up the overall picture of what he was dealing with. It seemed he had a lot of work to do based on his initial screening. Solo’s mind was in shambles, incoherent thoughts and memories floating around in jumble messes, none of them making any sense. 

He would have to start from the outer walls, building a perimeter around the area he would work on. He could easily construct the walls around Solo’s mind to help the man deal with the overwhelming amount of thoughts running through his head. Then he would try and reconstruct the rest of the inner structures that compromised the individual's mind. It was almost like a bee hive. He had a perfect visual of what he was working on since he was the one that broke the minds of people the most. But the process would take time and a sheer amount of concentration.

Another thought entered his mind, coming not from Solo but across the mental connection he shared with the woman who was still standing on the opposite side of the gurney, watching him. He could feel her gaze on his face but he paid no mind to it. He received plenty of stares in the past few days, ever since he accompanied the woman to her Rebel base. He had to get used to the attention he was receiving ever since his reconstructive surgery, although he was careful about hiding his face in public by wearing hooded robes. 

He was certainly not used to people looking into his eyes. It had been over two decades since the last time anyone had actually _looked_ at him. His suit and mask provided shielding from the outside world and he had become grateful for the fact that no one dared to look at him for too long due to their fear of him. It wasn’t that he was appreciative of the suit itself. He hated the kriffing thing ever since he was put into it by Sidious but he hardly had any choice on that matter at the time. He adjusted to it over the years, growing almost comfortable having it on and the mask that hid his mangled features. He didn’t have to try and hide his expression, the mask did it for him. 

But ever since the surgery he had to re-learn how to control his emotions that would frequently show themselves up on his face. He had to build his _own_ mask in order to continue the facade of him being an emotionless monster that everyone labeled him as. It proved to be much harder than he thought it would be. So instead, he decided to pay no mind to those that would bestow him with their attention, their hard gazes silently judging his features. He was by no means the young man he used to be, with perfect golden skin, silky but messy locks of dirty blond hair and a whole body with no wires and prosthetics sticking out of him. He didn’t have to look in the mirror to know he bore no similarities to Anakin Skywalker. 

Yet the thought slithered into his mind like an unwanted pest, the woman’s intrigue with his physique earlier when she walked in the room while he was covered by a simple cloth and now as he felt her gaze on his face studying his features. She didn’t feel repulsed, merely observing him, imprinting his features inside her mind. He heard her fleeting thoughts of his younger self from the vision she saw, how she wondered what he was like, what Anakin Skywalker was like. He felt anger slowly slithering in the depths of his soul from the mere aspect of her trying to compare him to his older weaker self. 

Yet her thoughts changed and she was no longer trying to see him for his old self but for what he was now. To his surprise she seemed to appreciate the scars from his accident and then some more from the many battles he endured. She wasn’t afraid or repulsed to look at him, _really_ look at him. And her bravery or perhaps simply misplaced courage allowed her to stand up to him, to challenge him, to defy his orders. She wasn’t easily swayed or deterred by his cold and detached personality even when he was still wearing the suit. She would challenge him with her own glare full of heat while many others would simply cower before him.

Her wonder soon turned into curiosity and her interest was directed at his lips and Vader almost broke his concentration to open his eyes and shoot her another glare. No one had _ever_ directed such thoughts his way, at least not when he was confined in the suit. She was clearly delusional in her own ways, yet his own interest piqued despite his anger at her wanton thoughts. This wasn’t the first time he’d caught her thinking of him in such a way. He caught her other stray thought earlier when she saw him practically naked sitting on the gurney when she walked in the room. Instead of feeling disgust at seeing his mangled body despite the surgery, she instead wanted to know what lay _under_ the sheet. 

And he thoroughly enjoyed her reaction when she finally saw him naked, albeit for a mere second but enough to make her feeling flushed and embarrassed. He was still a man despite what many thought of him. But he had forgotten that part of himself, never needing to subject his body to such frivolities as pleasure and sex when he was confined in the suit. It wasn’t like he was even able to perform that function anyway, not with a catheter stuck deep within his cock. 

Her thoughts were seriously breaking his concentration as he no longer even tried to work on repairing Solo’s mind. The woman’s presence was doing things to him he did not want to acknowledge so he finally revealed to her that he heard her thoughts and stunned her speechless. He would have smirked if it wasn’t for the image he tried to convey to her that he was unbothered by nothing of what he heard. 

He told her to work on her shields, because clearly she was greatly lacking in that area. He could read her like an open book, which was advantageous to him but a part of him wanted to see what she could become if he trained her. She was powerful in the Force, he could make her much stronger. He sent her on her way, telling her he would come and check on her later, resuming his concentration back on Solo. 

The task to restore someone’s mind was more cumbersome than trying to break one’s mind yet he gritted his teeth and continued on with the progress. He knew that if he failed, his daughter, Princess Leia, would not be pleased with him. She made him promise back on the stolen Imperial ship that he would bring her lover back to her safe and alive and if anything happened to him she would make sure to hold him personally accountable. That was his promise for keeping her out of the way in the post-Geonosis plan that involved him infiltrating his own ex-flagship. What he didn’t account was for the Commander to tag along and foil his plans. 

He was not used to someone _not_ following his orders. In his previous role as the Emperor’s enforcer and second-in-command he would simply snap someone’s neck for their clear disobedience and lack of respect. He was no longer in that position to do such things, although he still enjoyed killing his enemy yet he tried to act _more_ reserved which proved to be almost impossible. The death of his son, Luke Skywalker, was still fresh on his mind, haunting him in his sleep. The boy was foolish for trying to save his father who was far too gone in the Dark Side. But even with the dying breath the boy believed there was still good in him, that Anakin Skywalker still lived in the depths of Vader’s charred soul. Perhaps it was that notion that made him reflect on his life for the past three years being locked away in prison. 

And perhaps it was for that reason that he still had not killed the annoying woman that slithered herself into his life. She was outright stubborn and not to mention reckless, which reminded him of two other women that fit the same category. One of which was his own daughter and the other was his dead wife. He tried not to think of her too much, over the years pain subsided enough and the memories all but blending together of the life that was lived in lies and betrayal. Meeting his children had changed that once more, and he had started to think more and more of Padme as he pursued their son. 

The hope of a new life with his children as a family was crushed under the weight of Luke’s dying body laying in his own hands. The light that he saw of Padme reflected back in Luke’s eyes was extinguished as the boy took his final breath. His world was once more plunged into darkness, recalling the memory of Padme dying in his visions and then reflected back in the death of his own son. The only thing that kept him going was the revelation that he had another one, a daughter that was hidden from him. So he pushed the memory of Padme as far back as he could while watching the face of the Princess that looked just like her mother staring back at him with hate and pain in her eyes as he revealed to her of Luke’s death. 

Yet the fate was cruel and he was reminded of his dead wife once again when he met the Commander. She was the same size as Padme, having almost the same color of hair albeit slightly darker that he was finally able to distinguish with his own eyes and not through the red haze of his mask. Her eyes were the color of honey brown with specks of natural gold in them he noticed only after he neared her back on the Rebel’s base in her own quarters. Her spirit and fire were commendable, her righteous nature despite being an ex-Inquisitor was something of an oddity that he found he liked to observe when she was not paying any mind to him. She was resembling Padme in every quality except for the fact that she was not _her_. There was not a single woman in the galaxy that would ever replace his beloved wife. And it wasn’t like he was even looking for such a thing. His heart and soul died along with Padme. Then why was he thinking of the Commander in such a way?

He frowned and decided to put such thoughts away for now. He was finished with constructing the outer layer of Solo’s mind. Now it was time to start placing the man’s memories in somewhat chronological order. He was familiar with some of them during his time pursuing his son. He had pulled Solo’s entire record when he ordered for his bounty hunters to hunt Luke and his companions. So with ease he managed to take the jumbled pieces and put them in the right spot, like someone would do a puzzle. He was missing the man’s last three years of life in imprisonment so those memories he left alone. He was sure Solo would figure it out once he woke from his state.

What bothered him the most was lack of any memories or thoughts while Solo was being held captive in Thrawn’s clutches. Usually these memories would be the first ones to circulate in someone's mind. And considering how traumatic the process must have been for Solo if he was left in such a shamble state, he was most certain he would be able to access that information and learn what it was Thrawn and Maul were able to pull from the man. But the memories were gone as though someone simply wiped them from existence. This was troublesome indeed and it left him feeling blind and unsure of what Thrawn’s plans were. This must have been a reason why Thrawn let them all get away from the _Executor_ knowing Vader won’t find anything valuable. An act he was familiar with since he was known for implementing such ploy himself against the Rebels. 

He finally opened his eyes after he finished with initial repairs. The rest was up to Solo. The man would have to learn to live with the blank gaps in his memories and occasional misconstructions his mind would conjure from this trauma. But at least he won’t be left just a shell of a man with a broken mind. There was nothing else Vader could possibly do, only time would heal the rest of the damage. 

He felt exhausted. Either from lack of sleep or the tremendous amount of concentration it took to repair a mind or perhaps a combination of both. He glanced at the chrono watch on one of the screens and realized he had been with Solo for the past six hours. No wonder he felt so sluggish. He had to clear his head in order to continue functioning with clarity. He was used to only getting at most a few hours of sleep while he was confined in his suit but at least he had his meditation chamber to catch a small reprieve. He had not meditated since arriving at the Rebel base and it showed from the agitation he was feeling at even small things. 

But first he needed a shower. Such a notion was still new to him since he hadn’t needed to shower for the last two decades. Most of the work on his body was conducted by the medical droids while he was frequently subjected to what Sidious called his “examinations”. He hated being probed and even more so hated feeling so weak and debilitated while the droids stripped him of his life support suit and his limbs, leaving him just a shell of a broken man with wires and tubes sticking out in all directions while he was being _repaired_. A mere broken toy for Sidious’s use. He growled at that thought and headed towards the fresher. He was in no mood to recollect such unpleasant thoughts at the moment.

The sting of a sonic shower woke him up from the sluggish state, the pulse vibrations sending ripples of unpleasant sensations down his back. His fresh injuries were still raw from the blaster attacks, especially the ones on his back. He made sure the Commander was not able to see the product of such injuries. He did not want her pity or her worry at his state, her previous display of guilt back on the shuttle once she saw his broken body still fresh on his mind. He did not want to appear weak in her eyes. 

He gritted his teeth as his mind once more let the thoughts of that woman in and now that he was able to clear his own thoughts he continued to replay the scene back on _Executor_. The surprise and anger he felt at seeing her rushing in after Maul landed a lucky swing in his direction, managing to scorch his skin on the side of the face. How graceful she was in her own attacks, how fluid and motioned she was wielding her dual lightsabers, her focus entirely on the enemy in front of her. It was like a switch happened in front of his eyes, she was no longer that unsure woman back on Motok when her own feelings weighed against fighting and defending her own life. 

The color of her blades astonished him as well, he had only ever seen yellow blades being wielded by the Jedi Temple Guards, the mystery behind such color still unknown to him. This must have happened when she was meditating with the kyber crystals back in her quarters. He felt the change happen when she accessed his own crystal, her emotions skyrocketing and blasting against his own shields. He was assaulted by the memory he tried so hard to forget, the fateful night that everything changed for him back on Mustafar. He remembered the feeling of pure hate directed at the woman as she replayed that memory, unaware that he could see it as well. He considered killing her that instant for intruding on his most private moment yet when he saw her stricken face marred by already drying tears looking back at him something in him snapped. So instead, he demanded to know how she felt about seeing what he’d done to his own pregnant wife. Her confusion was palpable in the air as he pressed her against the door, blocking her exit with his own body. But he needed to know what she thought of him. And he got the response he expected, her calling him a monster as any other being would have done the same. He wasn’t expecting anything else from her but the mere thought of her seeing him this way only made him more irritated and aggravated at not knowing _why_ he felt that way. 

He never cared for anyone’s opinion yet something about the woman struck at his nerve and his mood only worsened the more time he spent with her. He tried to avoid her on the ship but that backfired as she sought him on her own and was the first to put the awkwardness between them aside while he was still stuck in the past replaying that incident in his head. He was agitated at himself more than anything else that he could not forget the way she looked at him with pure hate in her eyes when he forced himself inside her living space. 

So why did she throw herself into the fight meant for him back on _Executor_ with a cry directed at him, her fear pulsing around her as she witnessed him being struck by Maul’s blade? And why did he feel his own fear spike when he saw her being choked by Maul, his own hate barely contained as he stepped in the way of the Inquisitor's attacks to protect the woman from being killed in front of him. The rage that he felt directed at Maul as he continued choking the woman, doing the exact same thing he had done to his own wife, the memories colliding together and undoing the cold facade he constructed for himself in an instant as he showed both Maul and Thrawn the weakness he didn’t even know he possessed until that moment. 

He _cared_ for her. That’s what he realized that feeling was. How foolish of him to harbor such feelings for a mere woman he only recently met. Yet the truth in the word was undeniable and it only proved to him of his own feeling when he saw colorful bruises adorning her soft neck when she came to apologize to him. He felt angered at her blatant admittance that she might have offended him when she asked him to reconsider his decision to stay on _Executor_ as Thrawn approached them both on his own ship. That she somehow offended him by saying his life only mattered because he was useful to the Rebellion for his skills and information. And in truth it did sting when he heard her say this to his face while he concerned himself by trying to get her off the kriffing ship and get her and the rest of the crew out of the danger he put them all in. 

She should have instead apologized for disobeying his orders. So he did what he had always done, he snapped at her and hurt her even more with his harsh words and the strength of his grip, leaving more bruises on her arms from where he was tightly holding on to her in his anger. And she snapped in return but not in the way he expected her to. She shocked him with her outburst of emotional speech, inadvertently admitting her own feelings to him that she _cared_ for him as well. 

He sighed, closing his eyes. The situation was much more complicated than he first realized. He showed her his human side without meaning to when he healed the bruises on her neck that were bothering him more than they should have. He didn’t like the idea of her perfect skin being marred by something so hideous. And he liked even less the fact that such horrendous display on her skin evoked feelings from him he forgot the had. She, of course, lashed out at him again with her own proof that he cared less about what happened to her when she crudely reminded him that it was he who choked his own wife. 

She was a spit-fire. A woman of such character was easily the most intriguing thing Vader had stumbled upon in a long while. Even before meeting her in person, he felt Force swirling in anticipation while he was still locked away in his imprisonment. He felt her Force signature when she came to his cell, muted by her own doing albeit she could hardly hide it from him fully. He was drawn to her even then, his own Force signature seeking out hers until she opened up herself to the Force and let him in on her own volition. The instant connection between the two of them was startling even to him. He had never experienced such a link between the two Force users developed in such a short amount of time. 

Yet he didn’t fight it and neither did she, although it was a nuisance for him to try and work around her muted presence. He questioned why she did that and received a backlash from her only to later learn of her past and the reason why she did that. He wasn’t going to judge, if anything his own life was more mangled than her own, his sins outweighing hers making her seem like a saint compared to him. But he saw the potential in her that she tried to bury under the false facade. And he felt it was his responsibility to bring out the true power from deep within her, to make her a warrior capable of standing up to even beings like himself. He truly meant it when he said he wanted to train her even if she refused the Dark Side. 

And perhaps he saw in her something he could learn for himself by training her. How she managed to turn from the Dark Side and become what she was now. He had always felt he was in between the Light and Dark, regardless of how much he wanted to extinguish the Light from within, it would always come back to haunt him and taunt him with the memories of his old life. How his own son believed he was still capable of turning to the Light Side despite all the atrocities he committed in the name of the Dark Side of the Force. And even if he wasn’t going to admit it out loud, something in him earned to prove to his son that he was right all along, that somehow Anakin Skywalker was still alive.

He exited the fresher, feeling somewhat rejuvenated now that he was clean from the grime and sweat and re-dressed, sparing a single glance towards Solo’s still figure before exiting the room. He had been in this facility before, many years ago when he was searching for the name of the pilot that destroyed the Death Star, until he learned that it was his own son that somehow survived even though Sidious told him he killed his Padme and their unborn child. He stopped in front of one of the unused rooms, a labor ward where Padme ended up giving birth to their children and dying from the complications of the labor and his earlier attack on her. He tried to collect his thoughts, the memories of her death still painful to grasp as he gritted his teeth.

“I see you are well enough to walk,” a man’s voice snapped him back from his deep thoughts and he turned around to find the doctor that tended to his wounds earlier looking back at him with a slight smile on his face. 

He simply nodded his head, not quite in the mood to make a small talk with anyone. He simply turned around and headed back towards the room he passed, knowing he would find the Commander there. He told her he would check on her shields and he would do just that. He vaguely was aware that his lack of response to the doctor was starting to annoy the other man but he hardly cared. He wasn’t obligated to be thankful that his wounds were tended by the man, it was not his idea to come here in the first place. 

He stopped in front of the door, preparing to knock until he thought better of it and simply swiped his hand across the controls off to the side and the door slid open. He entered the room expecting the woman to once again be displeased with him that he entered without knocking but instead found her sprawled on the floor in the most uncomfortable position he ever witnessed anyone falling asleep as though she simply collapsed from her exhaustion while sitting cross legged in the meditative state, her body just slumped forward and her head on the floor, slightly snoring. He almost chortled at such display but collected himself and advanced further into the room until he was right in front of her. 

He considered waking her up in a rude manner by snapping at her that she was sleeping while he specifically instructed for her to work on her shields but he stopped himself and sighed, and before he could change his mind carefully picked her up off the floor and carried her across the room towards a small seating area off to the side that resembled a couch. He gently laid her down on top of it, slow in his movements so as to not wake her. He knew from his own experience how tired she must have been in the last few days, continually being on her feet running the missions and fighting the battles that she was so out practice from. 

He watched her in silence as she continued to softly snore, oblivious to anything around her. He studied her face like she did his earlier but this time he was free to watch her without needing to worry that she would catch his gaze while she thought he simply ignored her when she was around him. She looked even younger while she slept, the hard expressions she always wore being a Commander ebbed away in her sleep, revealing just how youthful she really was. Although he was much younger when he became Darth Vader, he could relate on some level the stress and difficulties her high position in the High Command could place such a heavy burden on her. He saw the same burdens reflected back on his daughter’s face. But this was war and certain sacrifices had to be made.

He sighed again, his own exhaustion catching up to him and decided it wouldn’t hurt to catch some rest himself while he waited for Solo to recover. He lowered himself on the opposite end of the couch, being careful not to disturb the woman as he finally allowed his body to relax the slightest. His body hurt but he was used to such feeling from being in agonizing pain for over two decades. This pain was nothing compared to what he had to endure. He closed his eyes and not long he himself succumbed to the deep slumber, one he had no privilege to experience for a long time. 

_A memory surfaced from deep within his mind, one where he was still whole, still Anakin Skywalker, laying on his back in the middle of a flowery field, the sounds of waterfalls and birds reverberating in the distance. Another body was pressed against him and he looked to see the brown curls of the woman’s head laying on top of his chest and he smiled. This particular memory was of Padme, of their time together on Naboo. After one of his long missions of not seeing her for months he was allowed a few days off and Padme immediately suggested to spend some time in Theed, away from the Jedi Council, the Senate and noise of Coruscant._

_Her body pressed closer and he groaned, feeling the beginning of his want pulling in the lower part of his body, the tightness of his trousers an indication that he was aroused. Padme shifted her body, rolling on top of his and laughing as she felt his need through the skirts of her dress, pressing against the heat of her own body. He simply placed his hands on each side of her hips, bringing the woman closer to his body and placing a tender kiss on her lips, feeling her smiling against him as she kissed him back._

_He rolled them both on the grass, finally coming up above her and placing wet trails of kisses on the side of her face and neck, sucking on the tender skin and drawing moans from the lips of his lover. He hastily pulled on her skirts, bunching them up above her hips as his own need threatened to overtake him, the tightness becoming almost unbearable as he released his throbbing member from the confines of his pants. She was already wet for him when he finally entered her and they both moaned, content with just feeling each other connected so close to one another._

_He started with slow thrusts, soon building up speed and rhythm and he continued to slam his hips against her own, the wetness and heat of her insides diving him almost mad. Her mewling noises and moans encouraged him and he increased his speed, and soon he felt himself coming undone, bucking his hips inside of her for the last time as his member jerked inside of her, spilling his pent up seed that he held off for the past few months being away from her. He moaned once more, collapsing on top of her and breathing the scent of her sweat mixed with arousal and flowers around them as he buried his face in the crook of her neck._

_It took awhile for him to catch his breath, the after feeling of his orgasm washing over him in pleasant waves. He shifted his hips, still slightly semi-hard inside his lover when the scene changed and the grass and flowers were gone and he was inside a room he didn’t recognize from any of the times he had been with Padme. His attention broke when his lover shifted under him, drawing another low moan from his throat as his cock twitched again from the tightness of the heat around his member._

_He finally glanced up to ask Padme where they were and the question stuck in his throat when it wasn’t Padme who stared back at him but the face of a very flushed Commander. He almost pushed himself back away from her if it wasn’t for the fact that he was still inside of her and still very much aroused and simple movements caused the friction between their bodies which earned another low moan from him that he couldn’t control. And he was even more stupefied when the woman’s own moan carried across the room, the sound of which made his cock twitch again and he…_

He gasped, finally waking from his dream only to find the woman’s face staring back at him from below in shock. Somehow her head ended up on his thighs, her curls sprawled across his legs while they both slept on the same couch. He bit back another moan when he felt his arousal through the fabric of his loose pants rubbing against the head of his cock, the woman’s head mere inches away from such humiliating display and he held his breath, willing himself to calm before he did any rash and sudden movements. Like throwing the woman on the floor away from him. But that would result in her most likely seeing the state he was in and he was not even remotely ready to have _that_ discussion with her. So instead he gritted his teeth and glared back at the woman. 

She continued to stare at him in shock for another moment before the realization hit her of where she was and her position relative to his and she swiftly pushed herself off of him, her cheeks heating up in sheer embarrassment and then she rounded up on him with her own glare shining in her eyes. 

“What the kriffing hell are you doing in _my_ room?” she shrieked, putting some distance between the two of them. 

He almost, _almost_ regretted the loss of heat radiating off her body and pressure of her head on his thighs but he ignored the carnal feelings and willed his body to calm, his arousal swiftly concealed as he shifted his hips away from her heated glare. 

It wasn’t like he had any legitimate excuse as to why he was in the same room with her, sleeping on the same couch, so instead he focused on the reason why he came to see her in the first place.

“I came to check your progress on the shields you were supposed to work on. But instead I found you _sleeping_ on the floor.” 

Her eyes narrowed at him. “And how the hell did I end up on the couch and you next to me?”

He didn’t have an answer to that so instead he switched the topic of conversation, focusing on one thing he knew she would be interested in.

“I managed to repair Solo’s mind. We should be able to leave soon and head back to your Rebel base.”

She frowned at him swiftly switching the topic of their conversation but decided to play along, shrugging her shoulders and stretching her body as she raised herself from the couch. He watched her in silence, his eyes traveling up and down her lean body, the loose clothing doing little to hide the curves of her young body from his eyes and he silently hissed as his thoughts were betraying him once more when he felt himself twitch at her sight. He would have to work on controlling his emotions in her presence. 

She turned around and gave him an odd look and he raised his eyebrow to stare back at her. 

“I think my shields are working perfectly fine,” she finally said as she continued staring at him and he felt himself growing uncomfortable at the intensity of her gaze. He indeed could not read her thoughts and he frowned when she smirked in return.

“But I think you should definitely work on yours,” she continued, heading towards the exit of the room. “It’s quite distracting, you know, when yours are practically screaming at me.”

“And you should probably take care of that little problem of yours,” she managed to say before disappearing behind the closed doors, leaving him completely flabbergasted. 

_Kriffing hell._


	27. Apprehended.

You were in a room with Solo when he finally stirred and then groaned, opening his eyes and staring blankly at you through the sleepy haze he was still in. 

You brightly smiled at him, nudging yourself closer to him. “Hey, how are you feeling?”

He continued to stare back at you for a moment and just when you were about to ask him if he was okay, he responded.

“I feel like bantha shit,” Solo groaned again, squinting his eyes at the bright lights above him and you adjusted the lighting in the room. 

“Yeah, well sounds like you’ve been through some hell,” you responded back.

Solo frowned. “I don’t remember anything past the part when I managed to get away from Motok and you…” he glanced back at you, frowning even more. “What the hell happened?”

“You were captured,” you started, trying to keep the details to the minimum. You didn’t think he needed to know _all_ the information that happened since the last time you’ve seen him. 

“Kriff,” Solo muttered, trying to get up from the medical bed. “Why can’t I remember anything? It’s like there’s mumbo jumbo in my brain, everything is so…”

He trailed off, placing both of his hands on the side of his head and squinting, trying hard to remember. 

“You were most likely tortured,” you supplied, knowing you were not helping his situation at all. “And it was through Force interrogation.”

You paused, letting your word sink in. “Solo, I hate to tell you this but Thrawn did some damage to your mind. Most people would go insane after going through such methods of interrogation.”

Solo’s eyes looked up to yours and he scowled. “I don’t feel like I’m going insane? I’m just thoroughly _confused_.” 

“Yeah, well that’s because Vader helped restore some parts of your mind if not all,” you added and almost backed away from the man when Solo’s eyes flashed with anger and he growled.

“He did _what_ ?” he shouted, raising himself from the bed. “That kriffing bastard was _inside_ my mind?”

“You probably wouldn’t even be talking right now if it wasn’t for him,” you said with a sigh. 

“That’s...that’s still not giving him any excuse for doing that!” Solo continued shouting. 

“Is that the best you can do Solo?” Vader’s cold voice cut through and you tensed, refusing to look at him as he entered the room behind you. “Is that your ‘thank you’ for the effort I put in trying to repair your worthless mind?”

Solo bristled and practically stalked towards Vader who was standing with his hands folded across the chest, looking almost bored. 

“Now, you listen to me, you Sith Lord, or whoever the hell you are,” Solo jabbed his finger in Vader’s face, practically hissing at the man in front of him. “I’m not thanking you for the fact that you did some sort of Force voodoo trick on me. If anything, it was all _your_ fault we ended up in the position we were in.”

“Get your hands out of my face,” Vader growled and you could have sworn the temperature in the room dropped by a few degrees, Vader’s voice making you shiver.

“Or _what_?” Solo continued, not noticing the deadly glare in Vader’s eyes or perhaps missing all the hints that he pressed Vader to his limit. 

You stepped next to both of them just in time as Vader started raising his hand, curling it into a fist and his focus broke when you gently touched Vader’s upper arm. 

“That’s _enough_ . We won’t accomplish anything by being at each other’s throats. Vader, _please_.” 

Your words made Vader snap from his intent to harm Solo. What you didn’t expect was for Vader to practically flinch from your touch and you frowned when he stepped away from you. He refused to look at you as he stalked out of the room, not bothering to say anything else. 

“What the hell is his problem?” Solo asked as he also noticed the unusual way Vader responded to the situation. 

You were confused by his act as well, contributing it to the earlier event that transpired in the room you were assigned to. You refused to dwell too much on it when it first happened for lack of better response to it but it was obvious Vader was greatly affected by whatever happened between the two of you. 

You shared the same dream, or perhaps vision, you were almost positive from the way Vader reacted after you woke up from it. You expected for him to act his cold self and deny any part of what happened but he acted reserved and appalled at the images that your minds conjured for one another. One moment you were sleeping and the next you felt him all around you, his lips, his tongue and even his cock inside of you and you thoroughly _enjoyed_ it. And you did your damn best to hide such feeling from him, almost proud of yourself at how you handled the situation with him. 

And you knew he felt the same way as you, albeit having a much harder time hiding such feeling from you, from the way his emotions slammed against your own, the shields you managed to construct barely withholding the intensity of what was rolling off from him in waves. You never thought Vader, of all people, could feel such emotions and sensations. You weren’t even sure if Vader _ever_ participated in any kind of sexual activities or would actually be interested in them at all. 

But you knew, without doubt, that the dream made him aroused, as it did to you and from the way Vader shifted in his seat when you demanded to know why he was in the same room with you, you knew he was trying to hide the product of his arousal in the form of a very noticeable bulge at his groin area. It took all of your self control to not plainly stare at it. You knew Vader would probably snap your neck for such insolence. 

You were starting to heat up thinking about it all over again so you clenched your teeth and bit your tongue to try and get your senses back to the present. 

“I don’t know,” you answered Solo’s earlier question, making sure your face was turned away from the man to avoid him seeing the obvious blush on your cheeks. 

“We should probably head out soon,” you continued. “I’m sure the rest of the team are worried about you. Not to mention Leia.”

Solo’s face twisted once more in confusion. That’s right, you thought, he wasn’t aware that you all were on an unauthorized mission to retrieve him and that Leia Organa tagged along. Speaking of which, you glanced back at Solo, your face carefully controlled when you spoke your next words.

“Hey, um, by the way,” you slowly started. “We didn’t have the chance to get the _Millennium Falcon_.”

Solo blankly stared at you for a solid minute before his face morphed into something unintelligible, mixed with shock and anger and was that hint of fear?

“ _What_?!”

You sighed. “I’ll explain everything on our way back to the base.”

Solo was not impressed with your answer as he glared at you. You glared back. It wasn’t like it was your fault that he got captured in the first place. You were lucky you all made it out alive from the _Executor_. 

“Get cleaned up and we’ll head out soon,” you added and exited the room to give the man some privacy and before Solo had the chance to interrogate you with more of his questions. 

___

You managed to leave the medical facility shortly after and right before the doctors had the chance to stop you and explain how Solo was back to his _almost_ normal self with the damage they described he had. You had a strong suspicion it was somehow Vader’s doing. He was absent for the majority of the hour while you were getting ready to leave. If anything, you were pretty sure Vader wiped most of the data from the computers to get rid of the evidence that you were ever on Polis Massa and possibly even used the Force suggestion to trick their minds and change their memories and thoughts of all of you. You weren’t going to complain about that though as you had more pressing matters to deal with. 

You were trying to contact your team and even Leia Organa for the past hour but the signal would not go through. You were starting to get worried. The last time you spoke with Gil you told him to get the ship out of the danger zone while they were still docked to the _Executor_ , albeit without being detected, and you haven’t had the chance to check on any of your team members to see if they were okay. What bothered you the most was not knowing _if_ they actually got away in time before anyone noticed they were there. If anything were to happen to Leia you knew Vader would not hesitate to kill you. 

You sighed once more, trying for the umpteenth time to contact them. You worriedly glanced behind you to see Vader sitting in the most distant corner of the shuttle, avoiding yours and Solo’s presence and still refusing to even acknowledge you. You must have really rubbed him the wrong way.

“They are okay,” Solo’s voice snapped you out of your reverie and you glanced at him sitting beside you while the shuttle was in hyperspace heading towards Da Soocha V. 

You simply nodded at him, your nerves practically making you so tense that you could barely talk. Not to mention you were trying very hard to have your shields up lest Vader heard any of your worried thoughts projected out loud and annoy him even more. You spent a good few hours back on Polis Massa constructing your mental shields before you managed to fall asleep. But you were glad you had the time to collect your thoughts and meditate, clearing your mind and working on the shields you desperately lacked due to years of not being in the presence of such a strong Force-sensitive being. 

You finally exited the hyperspace and sighed in relief seeing the planet as it was before you left. You were half expecting to find Imperial Star Destroyers surrounding the place. It was still a possibility you had to account for, not knowing what information was extracted from Solo’s mind. You would have to have a long talk with the Chancellor and the Generals of the High Command and relay all the information you managed to gather. That was if you weren’t arrested for the insubordination from refusing Mothma’s direct order. 

You were cleared for landing from the planet’s ground and you maneuvered the shuttle towards the hangar. You landed the shuttle in the landing bay and sighed in relief when you saw the Imperial ship you borrowed off in the distance. Your team made it back safe. Your relief was short-lived when you noticed several of the Rebel Alliance’s own soldiers lining the open space of the hangar, their weapons at ready and positioned at the shuttle you were all in. You exchanged worried glances with Solo but refused to remark on it. This was an overkill if that was how the Alliance was going to apprehend you for your disobedience. 

The Force swirled in warning as you passed Vader who still refused to acknowledge you and you frowned, getting irritated at his lack of response to your presence. Anything was better, even if it was anger, than his silence and standoffish aura he was projecting. 

You finally made it down the ramp and before you could make another step a voice carried across the silent hangar, void of any other members of the Alliance except more soldiers who were now surrounding the shuttle. 

“Commander [Y/N],” you recognized the voice to be that of General Rieekan as he slowly approached you. “You are charged with the insubordination of the direct orders from the High Command and your conspiration with the enemy of the Rebel Alliance in aiding of freeing the war criminal of the Galactic Empire, Darth Vader, formerly known as Anakin Skywalker, under direct orders from the _former_ General Leia Organa. You are under arrest for treason, penalty of which will result in death.”

You froze in your spot, your mind completely going blank as you processed what you’ve just heard. This was impossible, your mind screamed. How could they _possibly_ know? There was no way they would have found out the former identity of Darth Vader, not so soon at least. 

The air behind you grew colder and you knew, without having to look back, that Vader exited the shuttle, all the weapons now trained on him. 

“Darth Vader,” General Rieekan continued, practically snarling as he addressed the man. “I would suggest you surrender yourself willingly like you did the first time. I can’t promise what would happen to Leia Organa if you refuse.”

Vader growled, the Force swirling in warning and you could feel that Vader was barely holding himself back, restraining his anger. 

“We should have killed you the first time you presented yourself to us,” General Rieekan continued. “A criminal like yourself should not be allowed to walk this galaxy as a free man, especially not after what you’ve done to Alderaan on top of other heinous crimes.”

You knew General Rieekan would have a personal vendetta against Vader. After all it was the man’s home world and he was one of the survivors who happened to be off planet at the time of the Death Star attack. 

The soldiers moved around to apprehend you when Solo stepped in front, his hands raised in placating manner. 

“Now, hold on a second. General, I’m sure we can all come up with a solution to this problem,” he started. 

“Captain Solo,” General Rieekan interrupted the man. “I’m sure glad to see you well and unharmed, considering what you must have been through. To see you alive is a surprise indeed. We would certainly like to hear the details of your time being held as a prisoner by Thrawn.”

The soldiers now surrounded Solo as well, who looked dumbfounded when the men grabbed him by his arms, placing cuffs on his hands. 

“But you must understand we have to consider you a traitor as well, working closely with Leia Organa and plotting with Darth Vader behind our backs.”

You were about to respond, to argue about Solo’s innocence in the matter when the rough hands of soldiers grabbed you from behind and almost twisted your arms behind your back. Your lightsabers and blaster were apprehended from you as your hands were cuffed in the same manner as Solo’s. You bit back a sharp cry of pain when one of the soldiers injected you with something in your neck and your vision swirled. Another device was strapped to your neck, and you gasped when you felt a numbing nothingness as you were promptly cut off from the Force.

“A Force-inhibiting drug, yes,” General Rieekan sneered when he saw your shocked expression. “And the collar is for your own protection, my dear. We wouldn’t want you to get harmed trying to access the Force. The collar simply acts as a back-up in case the drugs wear off and is also a tracking device in an unfeasible notion that you manage to escape. We certainly don’t want to have an ex-Inquisitor running around the base.”

You were beyond shocked, the words of the man cutting through you like a knife. You numbly stared back at the General you considered to be a good man, your words stuck in your throat. 

“Now, Darth Vader, the choice is yours,” the General continued. “You can either surrender yourself peacefully, or you will be placing the life of your daughter in jeopardy.”

You watched in numb silence as Vader’s facial muscles twitched, his gloved hands balled into fists, his face twisted into snarl as he regarded the General. He could simply curl his hand and snap the other man’s neck and perhaps even kill all the soldiers that were around you. But he wouldn’t do that, not for the sake of his daughter. He wouldn’t endanger her life like that. 

“I surrender,” he finally ground out, his voice thick with unleashed anger. 

“Excellent choice,” the General nodded and then motioned for the soldiers to apprehend Vader. 

They all moved in caution as Vader regarded them with cold hard stare as the men moved to place the same collar that was now on your neck. Vader did not flinch when one of them injected him with the Force-inhibiting drug and you almost laughed at the fact that such things no longer worked on him. You weren’t expecting when suddenly Vader grunted in pain, his collar emitting a buzzing sound and he dropped on his knees in front of the General, his body convulsing as though being repeatedly shocked by unseen electrical currents. 

“We have our thanks to the data we acquired from Tritus during your time there,” General Rieekan continued as though answering the silent question hanging in the air. “We were able to modify our drugs and technology to inhibit the powers of the Force-sensitives. You will be the first one we test such technology on.”

The man grinned and you shuddered at the pure hate written on the General’s face. You continued watching Vader writhing in pain, his teeth gritted as he tried to hold in the sounds of discomfort from the obvious pain he was in. His injuries were still fresh from Thrawn’s attack and you could see blood seeping through the clothing on Vader’s back. 

“Stop this,” you finally managed to scream. “Can’t you see he is hurt?”

The General turned your way as he calmly regarded you. “You have no say in any of this, _former_ Commander [Y/N]. Your execution date will be announced shortly. Take her and Solo away.”

You meekly protested as you were roughly handled by the soldiers but you could do nothing as you were dragged away from the scene as Vader was continued to be subjugated to the torture. You couldn’t believe your eyes. You expected such treatment from the Empire but not from the Rebel Alliance. Their hate for Vader clouded their judgment. You were on the brink of tears, unable to look away as Vader finally groaned as another painful way hit him, the soldiers continuing to inject something inside of him. You couldn’t even reach out to him through your link with him, your Force capabilities inhibited by the krffing drugs. You were all alone when the soldiers finally dragged you inside the room meant to be an interrogation chamber and threw you in, closing the door behind you and shutting you inside with just your thoughts screaming inside your head. 

**End of Part Two**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for a shorter chapter and for how the story turned out at the end. I'm sure you weren't expecting this but at some point the truth about Vader had to come out and I envisioned for it to happen exactly the way I've written it. There will be plenty of angst in the upcoming chapters :/
> 
> And I felt it was an appropriate way to end Part Two of the story and move on to the third part where we should see much more action between Vader and the reader. If you haven't noticed I've been slowly trying to progress their relationship with each part. 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed it.


	28. The mystical Force.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An early present for you all as I was being a very good girl and actually managed to finish writing my two chapters ahead and actually be somewhat happy with them. So this was my reward to myself to post this chapter much earlier than I originally anticipated. 
> 
> I've also updated the tags to better suit the progress of the story. I apologize in advance btw... :p
> 
> Hope you enjoy this :)

You lost track of time, hours blending in together that you weren’t even sure if it was daylight or nighttime outside the cell you were confined to. There were no windows inside of it and it wouldn’t even matter, the room was inside one of the caverns. You sat on the stool in front of the desk, the only other object that was in the room with you beside the steel door that was locked. You already tried everything to try and break free, only damaging your hands in the process and exhausting yourself. The drug they injected you with was proving to be difficult to adjust to, your Force abilities completely robbed from you leaving you feeling _wrong_. 

At some point during your time here you had a visitor, or rather the General himself when he began interrogating you and demanding to know all the information you were hiding. Not just about Vader (which the man had paid _particular_ attention to) but about your previous life as well, your role in the Empire and what atrocities you’ve committed against the Rebel Alliance. You scoffed at that part, reminding the man that there were many others like you currently in the ranks of the Alliance, that the message carried by the Rebellion echoed not just in the forgotten parts of the galaxy but also in the midst of the Imperial ranks. There were many on the side of the Rebellion who used to serve the Empire. You accused the man and the Rebellion of being hypocrites which earned you a shockwave from the collar on the neck, making you convulse in pain in front of the man. 

“Your life is in our hands,” he simply sneered at you and walked out of the cell, leaving you alone once again. 

That was hours ago and you were impatiently waiting for more interrogation that you knew would soon come. You were also quite uncomfortable, your bladder practically full and pushing against your insides and you gritted your teeth, refusing to let such a basic need to take over your senses. There was no fresher in the cell and you wondered how much longer they planned on keeping you here without food, water and basic necessities such as a bathroom.

No sooner had you finished that thought when the door screeched from the other side and then opened, revealing none other than the Chancellor herself. You straightened yourself in the chair and then sneered when you saw General Rieekan following in behind Mon Mothma. 

“I’m very sorry that our meeting has to be conducted in such a manner,” Mothma started, giving you a sympathetic yet hard look as she stood in front of you. 

You refused to answer her, instead glaring at the two of them as a thick silence ensued. General Rieekan was the first to break it when he spoke. 

“Your cooperation is essential in ensuring that none of your other crew members face the same charges as you,” he calmly stated and you frowned. 

“Haven’t I been cooperative enough?” you snapped back. 

“That depends on what you can tell us about Lord Vader,” Mothma chimed in and you scowled at the woman. 

“I’ve already told you all I know,” you answered. 

“Not everything,” General Rieekan interrupted you. “You haven’t told us your time spent during your servitude to the Empire. You were once an Inquisitor, serving under Lord Vader.”

You gritted your teeth. This was the same question he asked you earlier and it seemed he did not like your answer the first time you told him the truth. 

“I already told you,” you ground out through clenched teeth. “I’ve not worked directly under Vader at the time. By the time I was enlisted, the Inquisitorius Program had already expanded beyond the need of Vader supervising it. We answered to the Grand Inquisitor.”

The room was silent once more and you waited to hear their next line of questions. 

“There will be a hearing tomorrow,” the Chancellor finally spoke, drawing your attention to her. “You, along with Lord Vader will be trialed.”

You scoffed. “What’s the point in that? I thought I was on a death penalty.”

The woman’s features constricted and she sighed. “We may perhaps reconsider such a severe punishment in hopes that you will testify _against_ Lord Vader’s crimes. All the information you can supply will benefit you with a promise of full pardon.”

You stared at the Chancellor wide eyed, thinking the woman had lost her mind. She saw your features and immediately added, “I would consider this before you so vehemently decide against it. Your life, as well as the lives of your crew are on the line. The Alliance will not take kindly to your actions. This is your only chance of clearing your name and benefiting the Rebellion by finally eliminating Lord Vader’s presence from this world.”

You didn’t get the chance to reply as the Chancellor and the General promptly left the room, locking the door behind them. You were left seeping in your own anger at the Chancellor’s words. How dare she think that you would so easily sell Vader’s life in hopes of clearing your name and avoiding the death penalty. You weren’t that kind of person. Perhaps if Vader was the monster that everyone claimed him to be with no human heart then you would consider her request. But you’ve witnessed with your own eyes that there was more to Vader than meets the eye. He had shown you compassion and trust in his own ways, his lighter side leaking out of his wretched soul when he was least expecting it. He had saved your life many times over the course of the last few months of you knowing him. And he showed through small gestures that he _cared_ about you, even if you refused to believe in that until now. 

You let out a very agitated sigh, gritting your teeth. You needed to meditate, to try and clear your mind. You weren’t sure if you’d be able to access the inner workings of the meditative state since your Force abilities were inhibited but you had to try. So you closed your eyes and let your senses relax and soon you felt the familiar pull in the Force and you gasped in surprise and relief that at least you were able to do that. But the sensations felt different, the pull much stronger and you frowned. Something, or rather _someone_ was pulling you in towards them.

You felt stabbing pain behind your back, in your lungs and in your temples and you nearly lost control when you heard a fit of coughs near you and you almost yelped from the unexpected noise startling you from your meditation. When you opened your eyes you were met with Vader hunched on another chair in the opposite corner of the room, unaware of your presence as he continued to violently cough and rasp as he tried to take large intakes of breaths. Something was _very_ wrong with him. 

You immediately raised yourself from your chair and crossed the room in two steps before kneeling next to him and softly asked, “Vader, are you alright?”

He whirled his head in your direction and the sudden unexpected motion made you tumble on the ground and you hissed when your bottom collided with the hard floor of the cell.

“[Y/N?]” he rasped and you frowned even more. This was the first time Vader had actually addressed you by your name and not by your title. You didn’t miss the shocked expression on his face or in his voice when he addressed you. 

“One and only,” you dryly replied, raising yourself from the ground. You hissed once more at the unnatural pain in your lungs and you felt the urge to cough. Why did it hurt so much when you were fine just a moment ago?

“Wha-what are you doing _here_?” Vader asked, still astounded that you were in front of him.

Now it was your turn to stare at him with a dumbfounded look on your face. 

“What do you mean? You’re the one who appeared out of the blue in _my_ cell,” you answered him. 

“That’s not true,” he answered and then started coughing once more which made you gasp in pain from the stabbing ache in your lungs. 

“What’s wrong with you?” you finally asked, surveying Vader with your gaze. You finally realized where this pain was coming from. “Why are your lungs hurting so much?”

He turned to look at you once more, frown accentuating his features. 

“How did you know…?” he trailed off as another powerful wave of pain washed over you. 

“I don’t know,” you gritted your teeth. “But _my_ lungs are killing me right now. Which pales in comparison to the pain in my back. Or rather _your_ pain. You’re projecting it on to me.”

Vader did not answer as he tried to calm his coughing fit, trying and failing to construct the shields around his emotions. After several long minutes he finally managed to soothe the pain and you breathed a sigh of relief when you took a breath of air without stabbing pain in your lungs. You watched Vader in concern, his face much paler when you saw him last with a bead of cold sweat trailing down his face. You saw dried up blood on his shirt from the wounds that opened up back in the hangar. His overall appearance screamed that he was not okay and that he was hurt, even though he tried to appear nonchalant about it. Was he being tortured?

Vader finally raised his gaze back to you. “ _You_ appeared in _my_ cell.”

You frowned. “I don’t understand. One minute I was trying to meditate and then all of the sudden I hear you coughing and then…”

You trailed off and then decided to switch the topic of conversation with the more pressing matter. “What’s wrong with you? Were you being tortured?”

He frowned at that and practically scoffed. “That is beside the point.”

“Really?” you snapped back at him, getting agitated. “You look like bantha shit.”

Vader hardened his gaze at you as his scowl deepened. “Watch your tone.”

You rolled your eyes at that. “Or what? You decide to kill me? I’m sure death by you would be more merciful than by the hands of the Rebellion I entrusted my life with only to be spit back out and proclaimed as traitor.”

You couldn’t hide the anger and spite from your voice as Vader calmly regarded you. “They won’t kill you.”

You scoffed at that. “Really? Is that how the Empire would have handled this as well? What would you have done in this situation?”

Vader did not respond and you sneered. “See. Even you must see the gravity of this situation.”

“I’m sure there’s a way to offset such a penalty in your favor,” he finally replied. 

“Oh there is,” you dryly replied. “But I won’t do it.” 

Vader frowned at that. “What do you mean?”

You shrugged. “I had a very _pleasant_ conversation with the Chancellor. She believes if I supply all the evidence against you in tomorrow’s hearing then there’s a possibility for me to win my freedom.”

“Then take it,” Vader bluntly replied. “I don’t see how that’s a concerning issue if you were given an option to avoid death.”

You stared at Vader open mouthed. “Did you not hear the part about me giving them the details to trial you?”

“I heard you,” he calmly stated. “It would be a foolish endeavor if you didn’t agree to such terms.”

“Vader,” you started, sounding exasperated. “You are being trialed to death as well.”

“I’m aware,” he sighed, sounding like the conversation was almost boring him. 

“I can’t do that,” you started but Vader interrupted you.

“You will change your answer once tomorrow comes. I’m not a man who should be given a pardon, regardless of what Leia thought when she suggested such a foolish thing. I will be trialed for the genocides of millions if not billions of people. I _deserve_ to die. You, on the other hand, have a chance for a better life. I can’t imagine you sticking around after all this is done and over with. So start your life anew, away from the war, the Rebellion and the Empire.”

You shook your head. “There is war _everywhere_. There is not a place left in the galaxy where I could just escape. I can’t do that.”

“Then survive,” Vader gravely intoned, looking at you with a hard gaze. “You have managed to survive thus far. But you don’t own your life to these fools any longer. Once you are free, leave the Rebellion and live for yourself.”

“You sound like you’re actually planning on dying tomorrow,” you dryly laughed, void of any emotion except the pain in your heart that was not radiating off Vader but was inside your own chest. 

“If it’s the will of the Force,” Vader gave you a cryptic answer and you understood what he was trying to say. He wasn’t going to fight back. He was planning on dying tomorrow at the hands of the Rebels who he fought all those years for the sake of the Empire and his Master. If it meant to protect you and his daughter he would lay his life in hope that the rest of you would survive. This was his chance at redemption for the sins he committed. 

You didn’t realize you were crying until your vision blurred and you felt hot and salty tears on your cheeks. You didn’t know why his statement bothered you that much but one thing you were sure of was that you didn’t want him to die. You grew fond of him, you cared for him, you felt things for him that were unknown to you. Your chest constricted at the thought of losing him and your lip trembled as you tried to contain a sob that threatened to escape you. This was a rather humiliating display but you hardly cared, dropping your head low and shutting your eyes to prevent more tears from escaping. 

You felt his touch, a ghost of his fingers trailing along your cheek when he gently raised your chin to meet your gaze as he towered over you. You gasped in surprise, not expecting to have him touch you or being able to feel anything through this weird experience you were sharing with him. 

“Save your tears for someone who is worth them,” he quietly said, wiping the tears from your face as he gently stroked your cheeks with his metal hands, evoking another sob from deep within your chest at how unfair he was being to you by acting so gentle and caring with you. Unlike what Vader should act like. You realized with a start that perhaps it wasn’t Vader who was now standing in front of you, but his other version, the _Anakin_ side showing through. 

“If you are trying to make me feel better you are doing a very pathetic job,” you said through your sobs you tried to control to make your voice even. 

Vader smirked, the corners of his lips raising just the slightest as he regarded you. “I think I’m doing quite a marvelous job, considering the fact that you’ve stopped crying and are now glaring at me.”

You scoffed at that but laughed regardless. You weren’t sure what tomorrow would bring but you wanted to cherish this moment for as long as the Force or whatever the hell was controlling your fates allowed you to have such close proximity to the man in front of you. You raised your chin even higher and were about to ask him another question when he dipped his head lower, startling you speechless as you gaped at him.

“Stay still,” he said with a low voice you’ve never heard him use and then he closed the distance between your lips and you melted into his touch as he gently kissed you, his hot breath mingling with yours as you finally relaxed and closed your eyes, savoring the taste of him in your mouth. His presence around you was overwhelming as he slowly worked around your mouth, nibbling and pulling on your lip as his kiss grew more passionate and soon you were practically leaning your whole body into him, answering his insistent demands to let him in inside your mouth and you complied, battling with his tongue until you let him win and overtake you. You moaned into his mouth as he continued his assault, soon your whole body shuddering from the sensations. It was all over too soon for your liking as you whined at the loss of contact when he finally pulled away, leaving you both breathless. 

You stared into his blue eyes wide eyed, trying to catch your breath, your brain refusing to believe that you were just kissed by Darth Vader himself and you actually _enjoyed_ it and wanted _more_. From the look on his face, Vader was baffled by his actions as well, his gaze making you feel hot all over with an all familiar heat going straight for your core. You felt your cheeks heat up as you bit your lip, drawing Vader’s gaze back to your lips. You barely restrained yourself to not jump on him and continue what he started, your need for him throbbing between your legs. You’ve never felt such sensations from a mere kiss and yet here you were, practically gushing over him from just the look he was giving you, his own desire clear in his strikingly beautiful eyes. 

He was the first to break the silence that stretched for over a few minutes as you both continued to look at each other. 

“I apologize,” he started, his face frowned once again and his voice tight. “I shouldn’t have done that… I don’t know what came over me.”

You shook your head. “Don’t. I…” you hesitated before throwing caution to the wind. “I enjoyed it.”

A look of surprise crossed his features and he sighed. “I may have deliberately taken advantage of you in the situation.”

You frowned at that. “What are you talking about?”

Vader hesitated for a moment. “I haven’t kissed anyone in over two decades. I wanted to know if I still felt anything by such a human act before I died.”

You searched his face, trying to figure out his thoughts but as always, he was an impenetrable wall. “And did you? Did you feel anything?”

His face hardened and his glare was back on your face as he coldly stated. “No. I didn’t feel a thing. Although your response was quite amusing.”

You stared at him with a look of horror on your face at such cruelty thrown your way and you backed away from him, almost stumbling in your attempt to put some distance between the two of you. You felt hurt, betrayed, humiliated that he was simply using you for his own gain. 

“Don’t look at me like that,” he sneered. “What did you think? That I would _feel_ something for _you_?”

He then laughed at you, cold and uncaring, the monster showing through. Your tears stopped, now blazing with hate as you sneered at the man, refusing to cry until you were out of his presence. Now would be a perfect time for whatever this was to end. You couldn’t stand to stay another second in the same room as him. 

“You are a cruel, heartless _monster_ ,” you spat at him, your whole body shaking with anger. “I can’t believe I thought you were anything more than that.”

“You were a fool for believing in anything more than a simple truth,” Vader shrugged. “I am a cold, heartless monster as you put in, incapable of feeling anything besides anger and hate. And definitely not to a pathetic being such as yourself. I would suggest for you to throw your wild fantasies from your mind in regards to me, considering how I would die soon. Wouldn’t want your feeble heart to break from the pain.”

You tightly closed your eyes, willing the Force to end this nightmare, begging whoever was listening to let you free and away from his presence and then you felt something snapping loose, like a thin glass breaking and you gasped when the pull your felt earlier when you tried to meditate snapped and you opened your eyes to find yourself alone in the room, staring at the empty wall where only moments ago Vader stood. 

You let yourself succumb to your tears you tried to suppress, wailing in misery as Vader’s words continued to replay in your mind. He played you until the end. You were a fool for trusting him, and you continued to berate yourself for your own stupidity for not seeing Vader as everyone else saw him, for the monster that he was. To think that mere moments ago you were going to throw away your own life for someone like him by trying to defend him. You scoffed at that, wiping away your tears. He deserved to die and your chest constricted even more at such a notion but there was no other way. 

The morning came too soon, you weren’t even sure if it was morning when the guards ushered you out of the room, letting you use the fresher and giving you some water before dragging you towards the bigger hall you assumed the hearing would take place. You were surprised to find that the area was cleared and only those on the High Command allowed to sit in were present in the otherwise empty room. 

Off to the side you saw Leia Organa and Han Solo sitting side by side, their expressions grim. At least they weren’t cuffed like you were, and it looked like Solo was in the clear from whatever accusations were thrown his way. Yet you were still worried about your team and you silently hoped they were in a better shape and better place than you currently were. You haven’t seen them since the incident on Geonosis. 

Just as you were placed in front of one of the podiums, the doors opened and Vader camply walked in surrounded by guards, his hands clipped behind his back as he was positioned next to you. He looked much calmer and collected the last time you saw him, barely exhibiting any signs that he was hurt by whatever torturous activities were implemented on him, his breathing even, his face constricted in that of neutral boredom. You refused to stare for too long, barely even glancing his way when he stood next to you. The faces of many Generals and other high officials all stared down at both of you from high above, the room you were in slightly elevated, allowing for those farther away to be stationed above where you currently were. This created a perfect look for a trial, being judged for your sins while everyone else stared you down, criticizing you. 

“Let us begin,” General Rieekan announced and the doors shut, the room surrounded by the soldiers with a holo camera hovering over you, recording the historic event of trialing the infamous Darth Vader to his death.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, remember how I mentioned they had a strange bond through the Force? Well here's the glimpse of it. Yes, I know it's not that original as I've taken the whole Ben/Rey thing and put it into my story but why not have a Force Bond with these two? :p 
> 
> It makes it that much more dramatic to progress their relationship. I actually kind of tear eyed writing the part of him being a cold heartless monster breaking the reader's feeble heart :/


	29. Impossible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter with much needed Vader's POV, probably the last one in for a while. I figured the best way to get through the trial was from Vader's own perspective. I am warning you, there is much of angst here and other things that may not sit well with some of you. I will explain everything at the end of the chapter...

Vader’s POV

He was left staring at the empty spot near the corner of the small cell, his thoughts and emotions running wild through his disarrayed state. The pain in his chest increased even more not from the tightness of his lungs from earlier abuse he received at the hands of the General as he tortured him for more information while continuously subjecting his body to the painful shock waves emitted from the collar. He felt a throbbing pain emitting from the inside of his heart as he continued to stare at the spot where mere moments ago the woman stared back at him with a look of hurt and betrayal in her eyes. 

He managed to hurt her again, only this time knowing full well what he was doing. He sighed, lowering himself on the stool and clasped his hands in front of his face, trying to regain some sort of composure as he replayed the scenario in his head. He hadn’t meant to kiss her, he wasn’t even sure what he was trying to do when he neared her. But seeing her cry, seeing her tears directed at him had unsettled him. Usually people cried when he tortured them or was about to kill them while they begged him to spare their lives. No one had actually shed tears for him just because he was going to die. He thought if anything that thought would please people that actually wanted him dead. But apparently not her. 

So he did what he thought was the most sensible thing at the time and kissed her, drowning her sorrows with his passion and in return was startled when she reciprocated the gesture and kissed him back, pressing her small body into his and almost drawing a moan from his own lips at how good it actually felt. He hadn’t kissed anyone in so long, almost forgetting the sensations that followed such an intimate act. He felt her need against his own, her desires pressing against his shields and he almost gave in. He would have continued with the act if it wasn’t for the fact that they were both in the cells, about to be trialed for their own separate sins, not to mention the curious and startling fact that she was simply not supposed to be in the same room as him. 

He was startled when he first heard her voice calling out to him softly with concern etched on her face. He didn’t even feel her presence, the drugs doing a damn good job at inhibiting his powers. He almost sneered at that. To think that non-Force sensitives developed drugs such as these to control the ones with the Force. But yet she was in front of him and he had to compose himself to appear nonchalant about the whole situation while the pain ebbed at him when she told him she could feel his own pain reflected back at her. He had never heard of such things happening between two Force users. Not even when he was an Apprentice to Sidious. He had never appeared in front of his Master or vice versa. This was a strange bonding indeed, one he had no time to investigate since he was going to die. 

So he had to remind the woman why she should not waste her life on a monster like himself. She was very adamant that she was not going to offer any information to the Rebellion to incriminate him. And he thought that was a foolish thing to do for someone so young to just throw her life away for him not worth any ounce of her kind yet mindless gesture. Even if she refused, the many counts of his atrocities committed against the people in the galaxy during the Emperor's reign as his second-in-command had already sealed his fate. There was no backtracking out of this mess alive, even if he wanted to. The General made it very clear that if Vader decided to escape, his daughter’s life would be on the line and she would answer for his atrocities instead. 

He gritted his teeth, the nagging feeling of what he’d done to the woman refusing to leave him alone. He knew he was harsh and cold when he lied to her about his feelings towards her, or rather the kiss they shared. He wouldn’t outright say it to her face that he also enjoyed it, that the kiss did more damage in breaking his cold facade than the dream he shared with her back on Polis Massa. A cruel trick by the Force, he was sure of it. He had never experienced such intensity and passion from a single kiss, not even when he was with Padme. Or perhaps it was the fact that he lacked such an intimate contact with anyone for so long that he forgot how good it felt and that his body craved for more. 

But he couldn’t turn back the time, regardless of how much he wished he had such power. To take that kiss back, to return to that moment before he decided to damn himself and her by being the first one to leap over the edge and taste her, to feel her against his own body in the fleeting moments of his passion driven by the madness in his mind. To take back the cruel remarks he sent her way, breaking her resolve and her feelings towards him. He wasn’t a fool, he knew she was feeling more than she let on, even if she wasn’t exactly sure what she was feeling herself. These feelings echoed in his own soul every time he looked at her. It was why he tried to ignore her ever since the Polis Massa incident. 

He breathed a hard sigh, closing his eyes. It didn’t matter now. He had done exactly what he planned on. He made her hate him even more, after all it was only fitting that there should be no soul left in the galaxy who would want to die for his sake. His son was enough to spin him out of the loop and make him lose his control. He would die tomorrow and that was alright with him. As long as his daughter and the woman would be safe from the backlash of the Rebellion. He spent the rest of the time alone composing himself and creating a false image of pure indifference so by the time the guards cuffed him in and injected him with more drugs, he was ready to face his destiny. 

He stood facing the High Command with a passive look on his face next to the woman who refused to acknowledge his presence and he echoed her blatant refusal to look at him by avoiding to look at her. He felt almost ridiculous by acting in such a way but he had to keep the appearance of being cold and uncaring towards anyone but himself. 

“Let us begin,” the voice of the General carried across the otherwise silent room and Vader stiffened, preparing himself for the personal questions he knew would come his way. There was no way to avoid them.

“Let us first confirm your identity,” the man continued, staring down at Vader with a sneer on his face. “That you were once a well known Jedi Knight of the Galactic Republic, going by the name of Anakin Skywalker.”

He glanced at the holo camera hovering above him and frowned. This information would get out to millions of people if the Rebellion chose to disclose this recording. 

“I don’t see how this pertains to the issue at hand,” he retorted and received a mild shockwave from the collar which made him silently hiss from the pain it emitted across his body. So that’s how they were going to play the game. If he didn’t answer their questions they would simply electrocute him. He sneered at the man, glaring daggers at the rest of the members of the High Command. 

“Answer the question,” General Rieekan continued.

He gritted his teeth but answered nonetheless. “Yes, I was once known as Anakin Skywalker.”

“And how did you receive the title and the name you currently hold, Lord Vader?” 

He saw the woman shift in her spot in his peripheral vision and he quickly glanced sideways to see her staring dead ahead, her expression carefully controlled. She of course already had some sort of an idea as to how he became Vader. But that was another matter altogether to let the rest of the galaxy know of his reasons for becoming who he was now. He redirected his gaze back at the General. 

“That is a _personal_ matter, General,” Vader practically hissed. 

“Nothing is personal when it comes to you,” Rieekan snapped back. “Answer the question.”

He gritted his teeth, his composure failing as he worked his facial muscles to try and regain some semblance of control. They had no right to ask these types of questions. He can give them detailed reports on all the missions he went on and all the massacres and purges he committed if they asked him of it. But getting their hands on the reason _why_ he committed himself to the Dark Side, that was one question he was _not_ going to answer even if it killed him. 

“Perhaps a visual can remind you,” Rieekan continued when he signaled for someone to turn on the holo projector. What greeted him had stunned Vader to a shocked stupor as the recording played out the scene he longed to forget, the moment he committed himself to the Dark Side and offered his servitude and his life to the man once known as Chancellor Palpatine. This recording was taken from the Chancellor’s office right after Anakin Skywalker maimed Mace Windu and practically aided the Sith in killing the other Jedi. 

A younger version of himself was kneeling in front of Palpatine with a broken look on his face as he wearily said the words that sealed his fate. 

_“I pledge myself to your teachings.”_

He watched wide eyed, unable to look away. This was not happening. There was no kriffing way the Rebellion could have gotten their hands on this recording. He made sure himself that all the recordings from the Jedi Archives were destroyed, specifically the information about Anakin Skywalker. Yet here he was, watching as the recording played out as Palpatine croaked with his hideous voice.

_“Good._ Good _.”_

He was frozen on the spot.

_“The Force is strong with you.”_ Palpatine continued in his raspy voice. _“A powerful Sith you will become. Henceforth, you shall be known as Darth Vader.”_

He distantly heard a sharp intake of someone’s breath, the woman next to him, he presumed yet he couldn’t even glance her way. His whole body refused to listen to his commands as he continued to watch in daze as his younger self bowed his head to his new Master.

_“Thank you. My Master.”_

The recording stopped and silence was broken by several dozen voices, the High Command erupted into whispers which turned into yells. He thought he heard distinct voices of someone shouting.

“He was the one who destroyed all the Jedi!”

“A murderer!”

“There is no point to this trial. He should be killed immediately.”

“Silence!” General Rieekan finally quieted the room with his voice as his attention directed back to the still stunned Vader. “Your sins, Lord Vader, began at that exact moment as you led the Grand Army of the Republic into the Jedi Temple and massacred all the Jedi, including the younglings.”

His body began to shake, either from shock or rage, he was not even certain. But what he was aware of were multiple hands on his arms and legs as he tried to pounce on the man in front of him, him being distinctly aware that he was screaming something at the General and then his world tipped when someone hit him square in the chest and he toppled over, the pain erupting once more from multiple hits he had received in the last few hours. He felt more pricks as someone continued to subjugate his body to the drugs, his vision swirled and he groaned when more shocks emitted from the collar, making his body convulse. He wasn’t sure how long he was in such a state until his vision cleared and he realized he was on his knees, his body shaking from the pain and memories of that fateful night. The nightmares of his past were back to haunt him, only now they were haunting him even during the day light. 

He realized he was coughing, blood pulling inside his mouth and he spit that out, the red substance coloring the floor. Whatever damage was done to his already weak lungs, even with pulmonoids and regenerative techniques from the stem cells he received when he was in recovery on Taris, was taking a toll on his body. The pressure he felt in his lungs hurt, he was obviously not getting enough oxygen, and he struggled for breaths. He had almost forgotten how it felt not being able to properly breathe on his own, yet here he was, wheezing in pain, trying to take shallow breaths because anything more than that _hurt_. 

He was immediately aware of two things. One was that his own daughter, Leia, was shouting something at the General but his head hurt too much to focus on what was being said. And two, the uneven breaths next to him as someone was coughing and wheezing, and he looked up to see the woman standing next to him, her face white and her eyes tightly shut as she struggled for breaths. He almost cursed when he realized he was unwillingly projecting his own pain on her. He tried to collect himself, to build up his walls and shut her out but it proved to be too much so the only thing he did was block the pain from his own mind. 

“Silence!” the General’s voice cut through his headache and he barely managed to contain the wince that threatened to show on his face. He slowly raised his head to look at the man.

“Wh-where,” his own voice was hoarse, the taste of blood still fresh in his mouth. “Where did you get this recording?”

The General smirked. “There are ways, Lord Vader, to acquire any information we seek through the Imperial files that you thought were so well protected that even you were not aware such files existed. There are many more of them, if you’d like us to _refresh_ your memory.”

His own thoughts were interrupted by the voice of the woman next to him. 

“You fools!” she hissed. “Can’t you see you’re being played by someone in the Empire? Most likely Thrawn himself. Why else would he give you access to such information? There’s a traitor amongst you!”

The guards swiftly approached her and grabbed her none too gently and she winced from the brutal handling, which only made his blood boil as his anger enveloped him. 

“Don’t touch her,” he growled, training his hard gaze on the General. 

There was a collective gasp amongst some of the Generals, which only prompted Rieekan to continue stare down at him as the woman struggled against the hold and then whimpered in pain as one of them activated the collar’s electrical charge.

“I said,” he practically hissed, and if his Force abilities were not inhibited he would have killed most of the Generals in the room by now, starting with Rieekan. “ _Don’t_ . _Touch_ . _Her_.”

“Oh?” the man grinned and something in the way Rieekan’s face twisted unsettled him. He had seen that sneer before but couldn’t quite place where he’d seen it. “And why do you _care_ so much as to what happens to her?”

He was silent, instead choosing to glare at the General. Now was not the time and place to announce his feelings, even if he himself wasn’t exactly sure what he was feeling for the woman next to him. He was sure of one thing. If the bastard did not order his men to back down he would kriff it all to hell and kill the whole Rebellion one way or another. Luckily for the General, the guards released the woman and she collapsed on her knees next to him, her body too weak from the electrocution.

“Lord Vader,” the man continued, drawing Vader’s attention back to him. “Describe to us in detail how you killed your own son, Luke Skywalker.”

If it was possible for the world to stop spinning, it would have happened after the question finally reached his ears and the implication behind it. He numbly stared at the General, the question echoing inside his head like a mantra but refusing to make any sense. 

“Luke Skywalker,” the man continued. “Was a well known Rebel, a great pilot, an honorable friend, an outstanding Commander, a Jedi of his own time and of course, a hero to the Rebellion and the galaxy after destroying the first Death Star.”

The room was silent, the tension palpable even to those who did not possess the Force. He did not need to look at Leia to know she was staring at him with wide eyes, her expression probably a mixture of false serenity and a barely concealed fury. He had never told her exactly _how_ Luke died. But the vile accusations thrown his way had unsettled him and the words were stuck in his throat as the General continued on with his tirade. 

“We received a report that Commander Skywalker perished in the aftermath of the Battle of Endor, along with Emperor Palpatine and the second Death Star with no information whatsoever on the details of his death,” Rieekan continued. “Yet, Lord Vader, you had survived. And not only had you managed to get off the battle station unscathed but you surrendered yourself to the Alliance.”

The silence was unnerving as he continued to listen to the General’s words. 

“A mystery to us all at the time,” the man continued. “But perhaps the mystery can be solved now, now that the truth of Commander Skywalker's parentage is out. Was it your own guilt at _killing_ your own son that prompted you to surrender yourself?”

He whirled his head, glaring at the General as he spit his next words out. 

“You know _nothing_ ,” he hissed with venom in his voice. 

“Then perhaps you can indulge us in the truth behind Commander Skywalker’s death,” the General continued, unfazed by the anger from the Sith Lord. 

“This has _nothing_ to do with why I’m here,” he spit out instead. “You want to incriminate me, then go ahead. But leave my son’s death out of this.”

“I want to know,” Leia’s quiet voice cut through his already broken shell and he turned to look at her pain stricken face. “I want to know _how_ he died.”

He hissed, his heart painfully constricting inside his chest as he recalled the last memory of his son, lying lifelessly on the cold floor of the Throne room, his eyes glazed with dead sheen, his skin clammy and cold and charred from the Force lightning he was subjected to at the hands of his Master, Emperor Palpatine as the old man cackled in mad glee as he took the life of another Skywalker. 

And it was all his fault. He could have saved his son if he wasn’t so stubborn and determined that Luke would turn to the Dark Side. He had pushed the boy towards his own death by bringing him to Palpatine, who in turn turned his own son against him. Only by sheer will Luke managed to turn away from the Dark Side and save his own father from the imminent death by his own hands while he threw away his lightsaber and taunted the Sith Lord that he was a Jedi, like his father before him. 

And he was left watching in a stupor as his son writhed on the floor, calling out for his father to help him, while his Life Force continued to diminish with each passing second as Palpatine continued to unleash all of his power on the boy who dared to defy him. He was too late by the time he moved, the Light he felt coming off Luke all but extinguished and leaving him enveloped in darkness, his own soul empty except for pain and sorrow at losing a part of him and Padme that he vowed to protect.

He didn’t remember much after that. He remembered bits and pieces as his mind blacked out as he unleashed all of his fury at Palpatine, who was not expecting a backlash from his own Apprentice. He remembered calling Luke’s and his own lightsabers to his hands and dueling with Palpatine, his movements consumed by raw anger and hate he felt towards his Master. He remembered overpowering the Emperor, holding him in a Force Choke as he drained his life before plunging Luke’s lightsaber in the other man’s heart. He remembered feeling _empty_ and _lost_. 

The moment he longed for at finally defeating the Emperor no longer mattered to him as he cradled Luke’s body in his hands, shaking from the pain and grief, tasting his own tears on his mangled face and lips, cursing the mask and life support that he could not even see his son with his own eyes. He would have stayed on the Death Star and met his own death if it wasn’t for the pull in the Force screaming at him that there was another Skywalker, that he had to protect _her_. 

The fact that he learned of the existence of another child had shaken him when Luke’s thoughts betrayed her existence, leaving him feeling elated that he could perhaps convert her to the Dark Side as well. He envisioned all three of them ruling the Empire after his children helped him overthrow the Emperor. But none of these visions mattered to him when he held his dead son, screaming at the Force to take him instead, to bring Luke back. But as always, the Force was silent when he needed its guidance the most. 

He surrendered himself to the Alliance shortly after only in hopes of meeting his daughter. What a cruel twist of fate, he thought, when he met with the face of the Princess as she glared at him with hate in her eyes and a spitting image of Padme glared back at him and he _knew_ . Oh how he wished this was a twisted joke when he finally realized who the Princess of Alderaan was. And he knew she _knew_ who he was. The pain in her eyes barely concealed by the fury he felt coming off of her in waves, and her own fear that she tried to hide slamming against his shields, recalling the memories on the Death Star as he tortured her for the location of the Rebel’s base and then made her watch as her planet was destroyed in front of her eyes. 

He refused to apologize at the time, knowing his words would mean nothing to her. So instead he offered his knowledge about the Empire in hope that the Rebellion would finish off the Empire and end the war he desired back when he was still a Jedi. He didn’t offer Leia any explanation, merely telling her that Luke perished in the battle against the Emperor, the pain in her eyes mirroring what he thought his own eyes would have looked like if the kriffing mask did not hide his features. 

“Leia,” he finally croaked out, his voice thick with tension and emotions that threatened to overpower him. “I’m so _sorry_.”

Leia’s pale face stared at him with raw emotion, a glint of tears threatening to escape from the corners of her eyes. 

“I should have _protected_ him,” he continued, his throat burning from the agony at wanting to spill his own tears. “I should have stopped him before…”

His voice broke and he dropped his head, his shoulders hunched forward and shaking from silent tears. He had spent the last three years locked away repenting for his sins, going over and over the memory as though replaying a clip of a film, the face of his lifeless son staring back at him. He had failed his son, failed Padme, failed _everyone_. The voices of those he killed whispering in his head, taunting him with their own nightmares. The four walls of his cell doing nothing to quell the voices. He thought he was going to lose his mind. 

The only reprieve were the first few months after being locked away when the Alliance refused to accept his help, locking him away in the high security prison and subjecting his body to the Force dampening drugs that offered brief silence from the voices. But that only lasted a few short months and soon his body developed a resistance and he was once more enveloped in painful memories and whispers of the dead around him. He thought it would be merciful if the Rebellion simply executed him for his atrocities and sins. Yet he had a growing suspicion as months turned into years that the only reason he was alive was because of Leia. 

“Did you _kill_ him?” Leia’s voice snapped him out of his own nightmare and he lifted his head, looking at her with unseeing eyes. 

“I-I didn’t,” he hoarsely whispered. 

Leia frowned, searching his gaze for something until she turned her head to look at General Rieekan who continued to glare at Vader with a sinister look in his eyes. 

“What an emotional display,” the man spat, and his voice garbled with a raspy hint, unbeknownst to anyone but him as he whirled his head to look at the General. 

“Perhaps you forgot the part where your son was slowly killed by Force lightning from your own Master while you simply stood by and watched until it was _too_ late.”

His world tipped once more as he numbly stared at the General, refusing to believe the words that left the man’s mouth. _Impossible_. How had he known? How had…

His eyes widened when everything finally clicked in place, when he finally placed the sneer coloring the General’s face, the unnatural gleam in his eyes, the raspiness in the voice, the _coldness_. 

_No. It couldn't be._

“ _You_ ,” he hissed, the color draining his features, his skin clad with cold sweat, his breathing uneven, his hands twisted into fists as he struggled to get out of the cuffs. “You should be _dead_ . I _killed_ you.”

The General, no not the General but a mindless puppet laughed, the sound void of any emotion except the coldness he was all but familiar with, the sickening sound he heard only Palpatine use.

“My foolish Apprentice,” Palpatine finally rasped, the pretense gone when the General’s face morphed into a sickening horror that was Palpatine’s yellow eyes staring back at Vader. “You have _failed_. And you shall pay for your failures.”

The murmur spread across the hall, the High Command’s whispers increasing as they realized that something was very _wrong_ with General Rieekan. But that wasn’t the General, at least not in the mental sense of the reality. Somehow Palpatine had survived Vader’s final strike of his blade and wormed himself inside the General’s head, manipulating his thoughts and actions. There was never a traitor within the Rebellion ranks, it was always _him_. Now the actions of the man all made sense, and the precise locations the General knew to attack when he tortured Vader for information. The sick way the bastard was subjecting his body through electric currents of his collar without using the Force. The ways he was able to obtain the needed information and use it to place Vader under arrest. The way he used the drugs to inhibit Vader’s Force abilities to make him weak and powerless. 

The sound of sirens blaring across the hall had startled everyone and the murmur increased to a high pitch yelling as one thought had crossed everyone’s mind. The Empire was here. There was no time to counter attack the Imperial forces, the Rebellion was doomed.

“Chancellor Mothma,” he acted on impulse, addressing the woman, who up until now refused to participate in the trial, wearing a shocked expression on her face, her features as white as the senatorial dress she still preferred to wear. “You must evacuate.”

“You cannot escape,” Palpatine’s voice cut through the chaos, his ugly sneer marring the face of the General. “The Rebellion had already lost.”

The realization hit the Chancellor moments later as her gaze swept from Vader back to General Rieekan, her eyes widening as she finally understood _who_ was in the midst of the Rebellion. 

“Prepare for the immediate evacuation!” she exclaimed and then there was chaos, as Generals and the rest of High Command scrambled to their feet, leaving the hall and practically all running out to get to their positions. 

Palpatine’s cold laugh erupted from the throat of General Rieekan, chilling Vader to the bone as dread pooled in the pit of his stomach. 

“Your precious Rebellion will be all but wiped out,” the man was now addressing the Chancellor as she stood stock still. “I know _all_ of your secrets. There is _no_ escape.”

And just like that the General garbled, collapsing on the floor from the seizure, his eyes rolling in the back of his head as the foam started coming out of the man’s mouth. He was dying. This was Palpatine’s own way of ensuring the Rebellion could not track the information he now possessed from the General. Chancellor Mothma was by his side a moment later, checking the man’s pulse and confirming Vader’s guess that the General was already dead. 

“What the hell was _that_?” Leia’s voice shrieked, her cool personally instantly evaporated, replaced with horror and aghast expression on her white face. 

“ _Palpatine_ ,” Vader spat the name, gritting his teeth as he slowly raised himself from the kneeling position, the action hurting him more than he thought it would. The internal damage was obviously much more severe than he previously thought as his lungs ached for oxygen. 

He ignored the loud gasp that came from Leia, or the way Han Solo had to support Leia’s body from behind while her knees gave out in shock, or the way the woman next to him was cursing under her breath. He had no time to waste trying to figure out _exactly_ what happened here only a moment ago. He would have plenty of time to think this through if he managed to get out of this mess alive. He turned his gaze back to the Chancellor, who was still kneeling by the dead General, her expression lost and desperate as she tried to process her friend’s death. 

“You must relocate the Rebellion. Get as far away as you can from here. Disband your Rebels into smaller groups, stay hidden.”

“Impossible,” Mothma’s gaze snapped back to his.

“You have zero chance of winning this war Chancellor,” he snapped as he glared at the woman, the agitation at the whole situation making him impertinent. “Palpatine had already thought ahead of you. If you stay as you are now he _will_ wipe you out. This place has long been compromised. You’re only wasting your time and your Rebel’s lives by being complacent.”

The sirens continued to blare, the unmistakable sounds of TIE fighters already screeching above the caverns as he continued to stare at the Chancellor. 

“Release me and the Commander from the bonds,” he ordered. He heard the said woman’s intake of breath but ignored her as his whole attention was on the Chancellor in front of him. “Pardon me and her, as well as the rest of the Commander’s team. Reinstate the titles to both the Commander and General Organa. Do this and I _will_ help you. I will kill Palpatine once and for all and bring peace to the galaxy.”

Mothma stuttered. “You know I don’t have such authority to grant you these requests,” she started but he interrupted her.

“I won’t be of much help against Palpatine if I’m _dead_ ,” he snapped. “Not to mention your other problem with Maul and Thrawn. You are surrounded from both sides, Chancellor, and you know it.”

The Chancellor faltered and then briefly glanced at Leia, who stood next to Han with a now determined look on her face. There was an unspoken conversation between the two women when finally Mothma sighed and reached towards the pockets of her senatorial dress and took out a small device. With a press of a switch, both of the cuffs and the collars fell off Vader and the woman next to him. 

“I hope I am not making a terrible mistake, Lord Vader,” Mothma said as he came up to him. “I trust you will hold up your word and promise to me and the Rebellion that you will kill Palpatine and restore the galaxy to its peace.”

He was taken back by the intensity of the Chancellor’s gaze as she extended her hand out, a gesture of trust towards him in this dire situation. He simply nodded his head, grabbing the woman’s extended hand and firmly grasping it. 

“If nothing else, you may trust in the Force,” he finally said.

Mothma regarded him for a moment before she inclined her head. “Then may the Force be with us all.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a very hard time writing this chapter as I've said in my previous comments. I had re-written it so many times that it took me over a week to finally be satisfied with it and even before I posted in I had to tweak some parts...
> 
> Now, for the part about Vader and his breakdown. I know he is very OC here and I must explain why. I would imagine he would have had major regrets if Luke died in the films (and I've also read a lot of fanfic stories about Vader going through something very similar in the scenarios when Luke dies and Vader lives etc). So for him to relieve it all again after he had already been tormented about his choice for the last three years being locked away and then so blatantly been put on the spot and _accused_ of killing his own son would have tipped him over the edge. Not to mention all the other emotional shit he was going through before hand (like him dealing with his feelings towards the reader). And now with Leia present he had no other choice but to tell her the truth (in some way) about what happened. Vader had been OC for the most part throughout the story and I know a lot of you had been suspecting for the reasons why he was that way and it was all because of Luke's death. 
> 
> I had to bring Palpatine back. I'm sorry if that doesn't sit well with some of you. But we know that Palpatine is a hard bastard to kill and he wouldn't just let Vader roam around freely after Vader tried to kill him. He will make sure Vader suffers tremendously. I'm sure you all have your speculations as to how he survived and everything will be explained in later chapters. But to me it makes sense that Palpatine would be alive if Vader is alive...
> 
> Whew, sorry for the long rant... I hope you enjoyed it. I'm somewhat apprehensive to hear your feedback. Like I said, this was a tough chapter to write.


	30. Destroyed.

You hastily exchanged a few words with General Organa and Solo as soon as you left the hall where the trial had taken place, ignoring the look Vader sent you as you dismissed his attempt at trying to talk to you, the chaos of the situation making it easier to distance yourself from him and disappear from his view as many Rebels ran around the base, swiftly attempting to evacuate. You headed towards the closed off area in the hangar where you knew you’d find the General of Rogue Squadron, Wedge Antillies. You were surprised to find Gil there as well, who once used to be part of the Squadron, at the time under the command of Luke Skywalker. Both of the men were standing around other pilots, Wedge exchanging some words with the rest of the Squadron, his voice muffled by the sirens until Gil saw you approach and excused himself before heading your way. 

“Commander,” he greeted you with a nod of his head. 

“What’s the situation?” you asked, getting right down to business as you walked alongside Gil towards the rest of the pilots who were preparing to counter attack the TIE fighters with their own Rebel fighters. 

“Five Star Destroyers entered the sector, effectively creating the blockade. The other Squadrons had already been deployed to open up the blockade. We are the last ones to leave.”

You considered this information. Why would the Empire only send _five_ Star Destroyers to wipe out the Rebellion? If what you heard Palpatine (you still couldn’t believe that he was alive but that’s exactly how you felt when you found out about Vader) say about him destroying the Rebellion was true, then sending a mere fraction of the total numbers of Imperial Destroyers made absolutely no sense. Unless there was a bigger plot to his schemes. 

“Is there a fighter that I can borrow?” you asked and Gil nodded, leading you towards one of the older models of T-65 X-Wing starfighter. You nodded your head and found T-2 rolling up to you as he frantically beeped some binary nonsense and you smiled at the astromech droid until he opened up one of his secret compartments and extended both of your lightsabers to you. 

Your eyes widened at that and you glanced at Gil who looked back at you with a knowing look in his eyes. The last time you’ve seen your weapons was when you were apprehended by the Rebel’s soldiers when you returned from your unauthorized mission to retrieve Solo and hence were arrested for treason. How the droid acquired your weapons was a mystery and you suspected it had something to do with Gil and your team but you had no time to question him. Right now your primary goal was to open up the blockade and shut down all the TIE fighters you could manage to let the rest of the Rebellion escape. 

Gil partied with you and then it was just you and T-2 as you prepared to board the fighter. You were hastily putting on the Rebel flight suit when you felt a cold aura heading your way and you scowled your face before the object of your displeasure appeared in front of you. 

“What the kriffing hell do you think you are doing?” Vader snapped at you, his face scowled with anger as he briefly scanned your outfit and then the fighter behind you. 

You completely ignored him as you told T-2 to get inside the compartment of the fighter, getting ready to get inside the pilot's seat before Vader snatched your arm and turned you around to face him. 

“You are planning to use your fighters against _five_ Star Destroyers? Without your cruisers and the backup of fire support from the Alliance Fleet? Are you that incompetent to see your whole Squadron will be wiped out?”

You continued to be silent as you pressed your lips into a tight line, refusing to look at him. You were done with being anything but cold and uncaring to him, the shame and utter despair at what happened in the cell was now replaced by anger at how he appeared to be caring once more. You were done with trying to be somewhat nice and patient with him. 

“Instead, you should be leaving with the rest of your crew and escape before it’s too late,” he continued and you finally turned your hard gaze on him.

“I don’t take orders from you,” you snapped back, pushing all your might against his grip, managing to tear your arm away from his hold. You barely took a step before Vader grabbed you by your upper arm, _again_ , and twirled you around to face him.

“Now would be my turn to tell you how suicidal this idea is,” he hissed at you. “Let the rest of the Rebellion handle the fight. You don’t owe them anything after what they’ve done to you. The Rebellion will lose many of its numbers trying to open up that blockade. Even _you_ must see the outcome of the battle, and it will _not_ be in your Rebels favor. You need to _leave_.”

You blankly stared at him and then sneered. “How kind of you, Lord Vader, to show that you _care_. Or perhaps it’s just one of your other tricks to try and twist my mind to cater to your whims.”

You tried to get your arm freed but his steeled grip was almost impossible to remove and you hissed in agitation.

“Stop being so _foolish_ ,” he snapped and yanked you hard against his body before his other hand came around your back as he tried to steer you the other way away from the fighter.

“Let. Me. _Go_ .” you hissed, fighting against his grip. “Vader, _release_ me, or pray to the Force I won’t…”

“Stop fighting me,” he finally snapped, rounding up on you. “I’m trying to _protect_ you.”

“ _Really_ ?” you hissed, narrowing your eyes. “Shouldn’t you be protecting your _daughter_ instead? You made it _very_ clear what I mean to you. Or don’t mean at all.”

Vader blankly stared down at you and then growled. “We can talk about this after we get off this planet. But right now I need you to…”

He didn’t get to finish whatever he was trying to say as the lights flickered around you and then there was a loud explosion somewhere above you. You must have blacked out when the next thing you knew you were pinned to the ground by Vader’s body as the hangar’s floor shook from more explosions ravaging the place and the ceiling of the caverns caved in, dropping rocks and debri all around you. One particularly big rock slammed on top of the fighter you were about to get on. The dust settled around you, the darkness pierced by some of the lights coming in from the cracks in the ceiling. You were dazed from the unexpected attack, your mind slightly hazed until your body registered a stabbing pain at your side and you stifled a cry as Vader’s body shifted above you. 

“Are you alright?” you registered his concerned voice next to your ear and you involuntarily shivered which caused the pain at your side to flare up even more. 

“I’m _fine_ ,” you growled, trying and failing to push his hard body away from yours. “Get off of me.”

Vader finally shifted enough to move his body away from yours and you hastily tried to get up which only provoked more pain from the side and this time you failed to hide your discomfort as you hissed. This immediately drew Vader’s attention to you as you felt his gaze on you in the darkness. 

“Are you hurt?” he asked. You weren’t so sure yourself so you chose to stay silent as you brought your hand to your right side to assess the damage only to feel something warm and sticky coating the side of your flight suit. You didn’t need the light to know it was your own blood soaking through the suit. You glanced behind you to try and figure out how you managed to get hurt to see a shrapnel from one of the blown up fighters right below you, its sharp jagged edge coated in the dark substance. You landed right on top of it when Vader pushed you to the ground. 

You cried out in surprise when you were picked up from the floor and you swirled your head to look up at Vader’s face, his eyes glowing in the dark with the unrecognizable emotion in them, as he carefully held you in his arms. You tried to protest but Vader was already halfway across the hangar, maneuvering through the rubble very efficiently considering the fact he was carrying extra weight. 

His labored breathing caught your attention as you two hastily approached the other side of the base where the rest of the Rebellion’s fighters and cruisers were. You nearly forgot that he was in pain merely less than an hour ago and prior to that as well. You saw the blood on the floor when he spit it out after one of the guards hit him in the chest. You were about to ask if he was alright but then thought better of it and bit your tongue, refusing to show to him that you still _cared_ about him despite the fact that he hurt you with his cruel words. 

“Kriff,” Vader’s voice snapped your attention when you saw more damage around the base with many collapsed walls and ceilings around you with some people pinned under the rubble, already long dead. Up above you could see a battle raging, with many Rebel fighters fighting against the TIE fighters and then many more above the planet’s atmosphere, trying to open up the blockade. The sight was not pretty, with many casualties coming from the Rebellion. 

Your own mind traveled back to Gil and how he was in the same area as you when the explosion happened and you squirmed in Vader’s arms, trying to get out of his steeled hold on you.

“Stay still,” he snapped which had only upset you more as the deja vu from his words caused you to recall the moment he kissed you. You were anything but still as you clawed at Vader’s chest and arms, trying to get out. 

“Let me go,” you screamed in exasperation which only earned a tighter hold on you from Vader as he sprinted across the rest of the base, somehow avoiding more debri falling all around you and many Rebels still scrambling all around you as everyone was in a panic mode trying to evacuate. 

A screech of a droid snapped your attention and you saw T-2 behind Vader’s back, moving around in a frenzy as he tried to avoid being crushed by falling rocks, approaching you at a top speed, gliding across the cracked floors towards you. You sighed in relief. At least your droid was safe but that didn’t mean that the rest of your team was. Which brought you back to your current dilemma at being carried by Vader as he completely ignored all of your protests at being mishandled this way. 

In a blink of an eye you were inside one of the Rebel’s starfighters, one of the smaller ones judging by the size inside of it but big enough to have a space in the back of it as Vader lowered you down on one of the benches. You were already raising yourself up when Vader none-too-gently pushed you back down and you hissed from the pain.

“Stay down,” he ordered, his eyes flashing with promising repercussions should you fail at obeying him this time. 

“Not a chance,” you hissed as you struggled against his hold. “My _crew_ is out there, I have to go and be with them.”

“No,” Vader barked. “You will stay on this ship until I get us off this planet.” 

You refused to listen, still struggling against him until a very stabbing jolt made you whimper in pain and you could have sworn you saw Vader’s face morph in concern for a brief moment, his eyes scanning your body and looking over the wound that you could feel was still bleeding. 

“[Y/N],” he finally sighed, drawing your attention back to him at hearing your name the second time in the span of two days from his lips. “Your team is as safe as they can be considering the circumstances. I made sure Leia and Solo left with the rest of them on your ship the moment I could locate them. As for your pilot, I saw him leaving with the rest of his Squadron moments before the whole place collapsed. You are the last one to leave.”

You sighed in relief at hearing his words until another thought struck at you and you narrowed your eyes. 

“You are not lying, are you?” you asked with all the suspicion you had in your voice. 

“Why would I be lying?” Vader snapped, his own eyes narrowing. 

You dryly laughed, which caused more pain at your side but you tried to ignore it. “Oh, I don’t know, maybe because that’s what you are good at? Maybe because you’ve been lying to me this whole time?”

You watched his face as Vader tried to formulate a response until he finally leaned himself above you, getting ready to head towards the cockpit of the ship .

“We will discuss this later,” he simply said as he turned around and left. 

From the position you were in you could only see part of the cockpit, your view restricted from you laying down. You could hear T-2 urgently chirping something at Vader and his curt but quiet responses as the ship rumbled, signaling that Vader wasted no time to take off. You knew this was going to be a rather bumpy flight if you had to go by your previous experiences with Vader’s methods of flying. You closed your eyes, letting your thoughts run wild while you had the chance. 

You felt weak and pathetic at your current state, simple movement causing you immense pain as you contemplated your position. You were completely at Vader’s mercy, once again being in his company, all _alone_. If that thought hadn’t bothered you before it certainly did now. You did not want to be anywhere near him after what happened in that cell. Everytime you looked at him it caused you to recollect the scene when he leaned down and kissed you and how naive and foolish you were to lean in to his touch and practically moan in his mouth. You were completely mortified everytime you thought of it. 

The ship lurched and you gasped at the unexpected motion, the sounds of battle getting louder and louder the closer Vader brought the ship towards the raging fight. You briefly wondered how he thought he would manage to get through the blockade if he insisted that it was a foolish idea back on the base. You gritted your teeth as you tried to lift yourself off the bench but cried out in pain as it proved to be almost impossible to get up. Your wound must be serious enough if it caused you that much pain. 

Vader continued to maneuver the ship and you held on with your hand at part of the bench, doing your best to try and not fall off as the ship lurched and twirled all over the place with sounds of TIE fighters screeching all over you. You closed your eyes, willing yourself to calm. You had to remind yourself that if anyone managed to get through the blockade it would be Vader. He was one of the best pilots in the galaxy and somehow the luck was always on his side in battles. 

One moment there were raging sounds all around you and the next it was quiet, save for the sound of someone breathing next to you and you twitched when something cold touched your side (where was your flight suit?) and you would have made a noise if it wasn’t for the fact that you were just _so_ tired, your body refusing to listen to your commands. You thought you heard someone talking but you blacked out before any of the words made much sense. 

The next time you came to your senses you were swaying in motion and you frowned when your cheek rested against something warm, the sound of someone breathing now echoing above you and you distinctly heard what sounded like a heartbeat next to you. You tried to ask where you were but your mouth refused to open and you struggled to regain some sort of control of your body but once again you failed as blackness took over you.

The final time you regained your consciousness, you were in an unfamiliar room that looked like it was a medbay, you laying on something soft, surrounded by machines and medical droids, feeling warm and secure as blankets and pillows enveloped you. You tried to piece the missing parts of your memories as to how you ended up wherever you were but you were left with more questions than answers. You tried to move and noticed that there was now a dull ache at your side compared to the sharp pain that was there before. 

Before you could move another muscle the doors to the medbay swished open and your eyes landed on a figure of Darth Vader. Clad in his normal clothing that consisted of simple black pants, black long sleeve shirt, black boots and black gloves. You mentally rolled your eyes at that, why were you not surprised that his wardrobe consisted of _only_ black clothing? He seemed to look healthier the last time you saw him (by the way when was that?), you noted that his hair was a tad bit longer than a hairline cut he used to have, as he approached you.

“Finally awake,” he said as he stopped in front of you, his gaze sweeping you up and down until his blue eyes landed on your face. 

You continued to blankly stare at him until you thought of the first question to ask him. “Where am I?” 

You didn’t realize how dry your throat was, instead of actually saying those words you hoarsely croaked them out. Vader reached for something out of your view and then brought a glass of water to your lips that you gladly appreciated as you sipped the cool liquid. Once you had enough Vader put the glass down and then shifted his stance as he continued to stare down at you. 

“You’re on Vjun,” he finally answered and you frowned in confusion. You have never heard of such a place before. 

He saw your confusion when he decided to elaborate. “In one of my personal fortresses.”

You gave Vader a look. “How many of these _personal_ fortresses do you have?”

Vader’s dark amusement rolled off of him and only then you realized that the Force did not feel muted and that your senses were back to normal as you felt a calm presence of the Force surrounding you. Or as calm as you could get. This place practically leached with the Dark Side. Then the feeling of security and calmness that you felt was coming off from Vader. 

“A few,” he finally responded. “This one is much more secure and private than Mustafar. We should not be bothered here for the duration of our stay.”

You narrowed your eyes. “And how long do you plan on staying here?”

“Until _you_ are fully recovered,” he answered without missing a beat and then after a short silence added. “And after I’ve completed your training.”

You almost groaned out loud. Was he still serious about that? Vader caught on your stray thought as he answered your silent question. 

“Yes. I am.”

You felt like arguing but Vader beat you to it. “You don’t realize how dire the situation has become while you were _unconscious_ ,” he said the last word with a hint of anger in his voice, which in turn provoked you enough to try and raise yourself from the bed.

“ _Don’t_ \- “ he started but you pushed his hand away as you glared at him once you finally managed to get yourself upright on the bed. Only then did you realize that you were in some sort of medical gown with no clothes underneath it and your eyes immediately widened at the implication behind you missing your clothes. 

“Did you _undress_ me?” you shrieked as you tried to piece together the memories that you simply did not possess. 

“You lost quite a lot of blood,” Vader answered instead and you continued to glare at him unhappy with his response. 

“That doesn’t answer my question,” you snapped. “Why am I not wearing my own clothes? Why am I _naked_?”

“I just told you,” Vader snapped, irritation back in his voice. “Your clothes were soaked in your own blood. I had to take them off to assess your wound.”

“Even my _undergarments_?” you asked, completely appalled. 

“Yes,” he ground out. “If it makes you feel any better I did not have the time nor the desire to look at anything else beside your wound.”

“Oh, I’m sure you didn’t,” you spat at him, raising yourself from the bed, being careful in your movements as the room slightly spun in front of you.

“What is _that_ supposed to mean?” he snapped back, his stance menacing as he towered over you.

“You don’t see a problem with that?” you yelled back. “First, you _kidnap_ me - “

“I did _not_ -” 

You raised your hand to silence him. “Yes, you did. You forcefully took me to that ship!”

“I was saving your kriffing _life_!” Vader yelled back, the yellow in his irises taking over all the blue. “You would have died had you stayed on that forsaken base - “

“And then you bring me to your fortress Force-knows-where, “ you interrupted him once more, now inches away from him as you continued on with your tirade. “And strip me of my clothes while I was, as-you-put-it, _unconscious_. You don’t see anything wrong with this whole scenario?”

“You’re reading way too much into this,” he hissed and that was the last straw as you raised your hand to slap him only to be stopped by his own metal hand grabbing your wrist as it stopped near inches from his face. 

“If you value your hand,” he hissed, as he stared at you with a deadly look in his eyes, the cold aura emitting from him permeating your skin. “I would suggest you refrain from doing such an act _ever_ again.”

You bit your tongue from lashing out with obscenities directed at him as he finally dropped your hand from his grip and you took an opportunity to get past him and swiftly walk towards the exit of the room. 

“And where do you think you are going?” 

You did not answer him as you hastily left him in the medical bay, attempting to put some distance between the two of you as you started heading in an unknown direction, the halls of his fortress all blending in like back on Mustafar. You half expected for him to follow you but you were mildly surprised that he did not and you were left wandering the long and dark halls of his fortress all alone. You soon realized that you were lost and that the bastard was probably watching you through the many cameras you knew were hidden in every corner as you attempted to find your way out. You were starting to get quite agitated as you passed a certain hallway you knew you’d already passed several times in the last hour or so wandering through the fortress. You were getting quite tired but also very angry at yourself and especially at Vader for leaving you all alone. 

You took another turn, being pretty sure of yourself that you were now in a different part of the fortress as you soon found yourself in a very open area with high ceilings and large windows that were covered by some sort of dark mosaic that you could not even see through. Off to the side you saw what looked like a sliding door that led to the outside and you finally sighed in relief. You wasted no time as you crossed a very spacious room and then rushed through the door expecting to see another fiery planet or something similar but instead was met by the bleak view of the beach off in the distance with a distinct smell of acid in the air and you frowned at the dark and gloomy scene in front of you. This was nothing what you expected but at the same time you almost laughed at the prospect of the Sith Lord staying somewhere nice and sunny with greenery and actual _life_ on the planet instead of these _lifeless_ places. 

You went further out into the open area outside that looked more like a very large balcony and glanced down to see you were pretty high up from the ground. You actually considered jumping down if that was an option since you were tired of roaming through the fortress all alone, trying to look for the exit. The clouds above were dark and threatening and you suspected it would rain any second now. 

“I suggest you get back inside,” Vader’s voice startled you from behind and you whirled around to see him looking at you with a serious expression on his face. 

“Are you going to tell me how to get out of here then?” you snidely asked him, crossing your arms across your chest. 

“No,” he snapped before he quickly looked up at the darkening sky and then down at you. “Get inside. _Now_.”

“ _No_ ,” you curtly snapped, mimicking the sound of his voice. 

Vader lifted his hand and you expected him to unleash his fury on you but instead the world slightly tilted in front of you and then you were _lifted_ off the ground and the next second you were in front of Vader behind the threshold of the door right in time as you heard distinct sound of heavy rain behind you. 

“What gives you the idea - “ you hissed as you glared at the man in front of you, too angry to try and formulate your words at him using the Force on you in such a manner. 

“You would have been burned,” Vader swiftly interrupted you and you stared at him in confusion. “This is an acidic rainfall. Unless you prefer to be burned by acid then by all means you can stay out all you want.”

You scoffed at that and then to your surprise, you laughed, startling the Sith Lord in front of you as he stared at you. 

“What is so funny?” he finally snapped when you continued laughing, unable to stop yourself. 

“I shouldn’t be surprised but I am,” you finally heaved through your laughter. “To think you’d pick this planet of all others to build a fortress here.”

Vader was watching you unamused, his eyes narrowed. “I didn’t build it here. This fortress had existed for thousands of generations as a strong Sith hold and refugee place after the fall of the Sith Empire.”

“Oh. _Lovely_ ,” you sarcastically snapped, rolling your eyes. “So, are you going to show me the exit then?”

“No,” Vader’s voice was final as he stared down at you. 

“And why not? Am I your prisoner then?” you lightly asked but something in his gaze unsettled you. 

“I already told you of my reasons,” he simply said. 

“And my answer is no,” you snapped. “I am not going to be trained by you.”

“You have no choice on that matter,” he answered and this felt like the conversation you already had with him back on Polis Massa. 

“ _Fine_. If you won’t help me get off this planet then let me contact my crew so they can - “

“I don’t think you understand just yet,” Vader interrupted you. “The Empire had wiped out your whole base. Your Rebellion lost a third of its soldiers from trying to get past the blockade. They managed to get some cruisers through but your Squadrons were completely destroyed. I’m positive the Rebellion won’t be able to recover for a great while from such a great loss. You are at a disadvantage now. You _always_ were.”

You stared at Vader with wide eyes, unable to comprehend what he was saying. “ _What_?”

“I’m saying that the Rebellion had lost,” Vader said with finality in his voice. “The rest of the Rebels will be hunted down by Thrawn and his men. There is no longer a central command. You have no base, no ways to communicate with one another. If your High Command had listened to me warn them of the impending attack and attempted to start evacuating before that attack came instead of engaging the Imperial force, the Rebellion might have had more survivors.”

“But there are survivors!” you shouted. “You just said that at least a third of the base had managed to flee. We must contact them and - “

“No,” Vader interrupted you once more. “That is what Palpatine wants. Your Rebellion would be best off hiding in the different parts of the galaxy until the storm had calmed.” 

“This is madness,” you argued. “Why hide if we can still fight?”

“ _Fight_?” Vader sneered. “You must have misheard me when I said that your Rebellion is all but wiped out. Palpatine had tricked us all, even me.”

“What are you saying?” you asked, hating how your voice sounded so pathetic to your own ears. 

“Palpatine had orchestrated this war from the beginning and he _will_ see through this until he wins no matter _how_ he accomplishes such a goal,” Vader stated matter-of-factly. 

“What are you talking about?” you asked in confusion.

Vader paused, his face unreadable as his hard gaze focused on your. “Palpatine has a much greater army at his disposal, the one we thought was controlled by Thrawn. The Star Destroyers he sent to your Rebel base were just a diversion. He has a much greater weapon.”

You stared at Vader in confusion, not getting his point across. 

“The Super Star Destroyers we thought were a simple prototype,” Vader continued on, aware of your confusion as he elaborated. “He has a whole army of them at his disposal.”

“ _What_? How do you know all this?”

“What did you think had _destroyed_ your Rebel base?” he asked you and you froze, fear creeping up the back of your neck. 

“ _Destroyed_?” you asked, realization finally dawning on you at the implication behind one word. 

Vader shook his head, deciding he did not have to elaborate on the matter anymore. “I underestimated him.”

You stared at Vader with a look of pure horror on your face. “But - _how_ \- I thought - he should be _dead_.” 

Vader growled under his breath, his eyes flashing a pure yellow color. “I don’t know,” he hissed. “I was sure I killed him back on the Death Star.”

“You were _sure_?” you slowly asked, still trying to process all the information Vader dropped on you. 

Vader shifted, his agitation palpable through the Force, until he snapped. “What do you want me to say? That somehow I screwed up? That I kriffing _hallucinated_ the whole thing?”

You were startled at Vader’s outburst, not expecting him to get so wound up from your comment. 

“I am not saying anything Vader,” you sighed. “I wasn’t there when it happened. I don’t know anything. I was just simply - “

“Yes, I _know_ ,” he snapped again, interrupting you mid sentence. His agitation was mostly at himself at this moment. The reveal of Palpatine’s survival had unsettled Vader much more than he tried to show. And you were pretty positive it had something to do with Luke Skywalker’s death. 

“So what now?” you asked him after a long moment of silence. 

Vader brought his gloved hand to his face, rubbing his eyes in the manner which told you he had not slept much in the last few days. 

“I don’t know,” he finally answered, sounding tired and unsure, which only made you frown more. 

You’ve never heard him sound so _defeated_ , struggling with coming up with answers that even you did not know the answers to. It made you feel that much more helpless. Vader was in the dark just as the rest of the galaxy. You still tried to wrap your mind around everything that you’ve just learned when suddenly Vader was in front of you and you gasped when he brought his hand to lightly touch the right side of your body where your wound was still healing, patched up with bacta patches and gauze. 

“You’ve started to bleed again,” he said and you frowned looking down at the material of the gown to see a red mark seeping through. You didn’t even realize you’ve opened up your wound again. 

“You must rest,” Vader said above your head and you didn’t feel like arguing this time. You did indeed feel tired and slightly woozy from either lack of food or the fact that you exhausted yourself after being unconscious for (wait, how long exactly were you in that state?).

“Five days,” Vader answered your unspoken question. “You’ve almost punctured your liver and the main artery. The latter case would have probably killed you. The shrapnel was still inside your body when I managed to extract it.”

“Don’t tell me you’ve also operated on me,” you almost rolled your eyes at that, unable to be angry with him for trying to save your life. You didn’t realize your wound was that serious when you first got injured. 

“I may have supervised it,” he quietly admitted. “The medical droids did most of the work.”

“You know that still doesn’t excuse you for bringing me here involuntarily,” you tried to sound displeased but failed. 

“What choice did I have?” at that you raised your face to look at him. “Your Force signature wavered. I couldn’t risk…”

He faltered at that and then looked away, ignoring your intense gaze on him. 

“Vader,” you started but he swiftly interrupted you.

“This conversation can wait another time,” he said as he glanced back down. “I will escort you back to the medical bay. Can you walk?”

You made a face at that comment. “Of course I can walk. I probably trekked a mile trying to find an exit in this kriffing place,” you grumbled which earned a slight smirk from Vader. 

“Well, yes, if only you’d listened to me in the first place,” he started but then your focus wavered and your equilibrium shifted as you started falling backwards and then strong arms caught your fall from behind as Vader somehow managed to get behind you in a blink of an eye. 

“I suppose that answers my question,” he said as he swiftly picked you up in his arms and you were immediately reminded of another memory from long ago when Vader carried you in his arms back on Mustafar. But then another memory superimposed itself over the older one and you thought you remembered him carrying you in his arms while you were half conscious. 

You nudged your cheek against his chest, listening for the beat of his heart and you found its rhythmic beat seconds later, somehow calming your nerves. 

“I apologize,” his voice snapped you from your reverie as he carried you through the halls of the fortress and you frowned at the curt apology that made no sense. 

“I had crossed the boundaries without your consent,” he quietly said and you looked up to see him looking in front of him, his face hardened from the unknown emotion. 

“What are you talking about now?” you sighed, too tired to try and decipher the meaning behind his words. 

“By undressing you,” he supplied and you immediately stiffened. “I really meant it when I said I had not taken advantage of you in the state you were in.”

You considered his words, earlier anger at his actions had dissipated leaving you hollow and too open to your emotions. You should have felt more than just simple acceptance at what happened but you refused to acknowledge what it all meant as you closed your eyes. 

“I think the boundaries were crossed with the dream we both shared,” you didn’t mean to say it out loud and you felt Vader stiffen as his hands tightened his hold on you.

He didn’t say anything else and you were too self-conscious to even look at him as you buried your face in his chest, breathing in his scent of leather and mint and a hint of some medicinal herb you found you associated only with Vader. You found you liked his scent much more than an expensive cologne some of the men preferred to wear. You didn’t even realize you dozed off until you felt someone adjusting the covers around you and you briefly opened your eyes to see Vader’s turned back walking through the doors of the medbay, leaving you to succumb to a much needed sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, the bickering of these two poor souls always gets me :) I wish they would just admit their feelings towards each other and make out, right? 
> 
> Anyways, I'm a huge fan of Vjun and Vader's Bast Castle :p So many good fanfics out there with Vader kidnapping young virgins and making them all fall in love with him while he fucks them to oblivion o.o' ahem sorry. The story at Vjun will span over a few chapter (I'm not yet sure how many there will be) and there will be angst, as well as awkward moments and much needed heat 🔥. Stay tuned 🖤


	31. Two reasons.

_You woke up to the sound of a heartbeat next to your ear, someone’s arm loosely draped across your side and you sighed, burying your face in hardness of someone’s chest as you attempted to go back to sleep only to snap your eyes open second later as you tried to piece your exact location. You remembered falling asleep in the medical bed by yourself. Then who was sleeping next to you?_

_You tried to shift yourself, now fully awake until you realized two things. One, that you were no longer in the medbay and the covers that were around your body were dark and silky to the touch, a stark contrast between white linens of the medbay and their stiffness. And two, that you were absolutely naked, your medical gown somehow evaporated from your body and that you were laying on top of someone’s chest, your body entwined with theirs._

_You silently cursed your predicament, slowly lifting your face to find out who was in the bed with you and then wished you didn’t once your eyes met the sleeping face of Vader as he was thankfully still deep in his sleep, his lips slightly open as he softly wheezed through his mouth. You were watching in absolute horror and morbid fascination at his face, so close to yours, his features looking much more relaxed than you’ve ever seen him, the hard lines now smoothed which created a much younger look on Vader’s face._

_Until you snapped at yourself and winced, trying to separate your body away from his. You had no idea how you ended up in such a predicament and you weren’t going to wait to find out what would happen if Vader decided to wake up at this moment. You had to get out of here now. Except for the fact that you simply couldn’t detangle yourself unless you disturbed Vader which guaranteed that he would most certainly wake up. You bit your lip, trying to decide what to do._

_This was most likely another one of the visions you were now sharing with him, you could at least tell that much from the muffled presence of the Force around you. So if you willed yourself to wake up then you’d solve your solution without having to face Vader. But no matter how hard you tried you simply couldn’t wake up and after several minutes of nothing happening you were starting to get impatient._

_The situation couldn’t have gotten much worse when Vader finally shifted and you ducked your head back down on his chest, refusing to look at his face if he actually woke up and instead pretending to be asleep. You heard him sigh and shift some more and then your eyes widened when you felt something very stiff but warm press against your thigh and you bit your lip from screaming out loud when you realized what it was._

_Vader’s breathing changed and his body tensed and you knew he was now awake and you shut your eyes to will yourself to wake up, begging different Force deities to get you out of this situation. But no matter what, you were there a minute later, still pressed on top of Vader, with his very prominent morning arousal pressing against you and you wanted to die right there and then and disappear from the face of the world._

_It was silent for a good minute or two, you decided that it was taking Vader a moment to come to the same conclusion as you did only moments earlier about your predicament. Yet he refused to move and you were starting to cramp from the way you were tensing your body to try and put at least some distance away from him, yet you knew it proved to be pointless with your naked breasts pressing against his hard chest and the heat of your core mere inches from his own arousal._

_“Fuck,” Vader muttered and the spell broke._

You gasped in your own bed, relief washing over you that whatever it was that transpired between you and Vader was finally over. But then immediately a fear set in the pit of your stomach, as well as apprehension and you pushed yourself off the bed, stumbling in the blankets and pillows to get out. 

You had to leave. _Now_ . You could not stay in the same zone as Vader, it was proving to be too much for either of you. The Force was clearly trying to bridge the gap between you and Vader for no apparent reason but you did not share its sentiment. If anything, you felt sickened by the Force’s cruel joke. You were trying to _not_ think about Vader in any way and definitely not in a sexual way. Yet every time you let your guard down the Force would curve its ball and fling you right back to where you started with your feelings out in the open. Vader had already made it _very_ clear what he thought of you, you did not want anymore of this nonsense clouding your senses and making you doubt your own feelings towards the man. It was now strictly professional, you kept telling yourself. 

You found a set of clean clothing lying by the foot of the bed, not the ones you wore on the base but what looked like spare clothing (perhaps Vader’s?) but you didn’t have time to contemplate whose clothing these were before you changed into loose pants and a long sleeved shirt, similar to what Vader wore some hours ago. This was much better than walking around naked with a simple gown on. You looked at your side to see it bandaged with a new bacta patch on so you were good on that end at least. If anything, you knew you could get medical help once you got off the planet. 

You hastily left the medbay and almost ran into your astromech droid who beeped a series of happy chirps at seeing you. 

“T-2!” you exclaimed, relief washing over you that at least your droid was here with you. 

The droid continued to beep some nonsense you had a hard time deciphering, but you were able to distinguish the key words such as “ship”, “hangar” and “signal”. 

“T-2, do you know how to get to the hangar?” you asked with hope in your voice and the droid immediately chirped affirmative. 

“Lead the way!” you exclaimed. “And hurry. We don’t want to run into Vader, so keep quiet.”

The droid immediately complied with your request and soon you were heading towards the direction you’ve never been to from your earlier wandering around the fortress. The droid was leading you downwards and away from what you presumed to be the living quarters. If your hunch was correct, Vader must have woken up the same time you did. And you hoped and prayed to whoever listened that he wouldn’t want to seek you out but instead would stay in his own quarters until you managed to escape. 

It wasn’t long until T-2 finally led you inside the closed but spacious hangar and you sighed in relief upon seeing many shuttles and fighters. You now just had to pick the most inconspicuous one and flee the planet before Vader realized your intentions. But by then it would be too late. 

“T-2, open the hangar door while I’m starting up the engines,” you directed the droid and turned around to head towards one of the smaller shuttles until you nearly smacked into the broad (but now clothed) chest of Vader standing right behind you, his glare on you as his hands were folded across his chest.

“What do you think you’re doing?” he hissed and you knew the color instantly drained from your face before your cheeks heated up against your volition as you remembered the dream you shared with him. 

“I’m leaving,” you simply told him, trying to keep your voice from wavering. 

“You’re staying here,” he glared at you.

“Says who?” you snapped at him, your own glare matching his. “You can’t keep me here against my will.”

The look on his face told you otherwise as his glare turned into plain anger. “I cannot allow you to leave.”

“So this confirms it then,” you spat at him, your own anger rising. “You will keep me here as your _prisoner_.”

“I don’t care what you call it,” he snapped back. “But you will _not_ leave.”

You really wanted to punch him. To smack that glare and disdainful expression off his face. Yet you stayed your hand, recalling his earlier warning about you ever attempting to strike him again.

“I see you are well enough now that we can start your training,” Vader intoned and you stared at him like he had two heads. 

“I told you - “ you started but Vader interrupted you with a hiss of his breath. 

“If you can land a single blow on me I will allow you to leave,” he started. “Otherwise, you are staying here until your training is complete. Now, follow me.”

He turned around but you stayed rooted on your spot, staring at Vader with a shocked expression on your face until you gritted your teeth and practically spat at him.

“Do _not_ order me around,” you growled. “I won’t go anywhere with you - “

“You can either walk on your own, or I can _make_ you,” Vader once more interrupted you without glancing back. “The choice is yours.”

You bristled at that, the threat in his words palpable in the Force. It felt like a coiling spring, ready to pounce, Vader barely holding on to his anger. You gritted your teeth but decided to follow him, refusing your pride to win over and then be humiliated as Vader would most likely act out on his promise to make you go wherever he wanted you to. You followed him in brooding silence, some steps behind him, glaring daggers at his back. He finally stopped some time later at the massive double doors, opening them with the Force and leading you inside what looked like a very spacious training facility. 

“You may choose whatever weapon you want,” he told you once he turned around in the middle of the room and watched you. “I will then pick the same weapon of your choosing.”

“Let’s skip to the chase and start with the lightsabers,” you snapped at him. “The faster this is over with the sooner I can leave.”

“ _Oh_ ?” he darkly asked, his gaze glistening with warning. “You think _you_ stand a chance against _me_?”

You refused to answer him and instead he motioned with his hand towards one of the walls as it opened, revealing a significant collection of different lightsabers. Somehow your own ended up in the midst of them, perhaps when Vader was tending to your wounds he picked them up, and you immediately reached for them through the Force, your senses now completely cleared as your system finally managed to get rid of the toxins from the drugs you were injected with back on the Rebel base. 

You immediately got into the attack stance, waiting for Vader to pick up his own blade but he simply stood and watched you. 

“Well then, go ahead,” he finally said and you frowned. 

“Aren’t you going to pick up yours?” you asked, still confused at Vader’s lack of appropriate response to this whole ordeal. 

“I don’t need to,” he finally answered. “I can easily manage without one against you.”

You bristled at that and then hissed, baring your teeth. “Do you take me for a joke?” you snapped at him. 

“I suppose we shall find out,” he simply answered and that response got under your skin, your nerves prickling all over as you attempted to calm yourself. Rushing in head on will only warrant your swift death, you knew that much when dealing with Darth Vader. You had to fight smart, to outmaneuver him. All your lessons and training started to come back to you, recalling the words of the Grand Inquisitor. 

You flipped your blades outwards, reversing your grip on them as you considered the best way to attack. You could come from the side but Vader would most likely dodge you and then use the Force to push you away. Or you could come from the air and slash at him but you had a feeling that won’t work either if you were charging at him head on. You decided to go from the low and slash at him when you ducked down to dodge him. 

You wasted no time as you sprinted at him and then ducked to the side and away from him, rounding up behind his back before attempting to slash at his blind spot. Vader was much faster as he spun around and then side stepped your swing before jumping away from the second wave you sent his way from your second lightsaber. You continued your assault, slashing and maneuvering around him, trying to break his impeccable defense even without him wielding a lightsaber. 

You had to try and trap him so he had no room to dodge and you made it your goal to push him further and further towards the far wall of the training room. When you finally made it past a certain point you used the Force to try and push him the rest of the way against the wall and then timed your jump perfectly as you landed right beside him and flipped your blade to try and maim him only to be stopped by his own hand as he painfully gripped your wrist before he twisted the blade from your arm and swung it in your direction. You barely had time to dodge it as the heat of it nearly seared the skin on your shoulder. 

“You have the potential,” he said as he continued to push you with your own blade before he disengaged it and then swiftly kicked you in the stomach and you gasped from pain erupting in your midsection close to your wound as you skidded across the floor. 

“But not enough to beat me,” he continued as you glared at him from the floor, holding your wounded side with your hand as it started to bleed again. “Again.”

You looked at him in confusion when he dropped your other blade next to you and you realized that he wanted you to continue to fight. After the bastard had kicked you in your stomach and opened up your wound. 

“You have no time to lay around on the floor,” he snapped. “Get up. In a real battle you will have many more wounds, more severe than this one.”

You bristled at his condescending tone, getting up from the floor and getting back into the attack position. 

“I know that,” you hissed your response through clenched teeth. He was treating you like you had no clue how to fight.

“Then show me,” he replied and you flung yourself back at him, resuming your deadly dance with your blades while Vader continued to dodge. It wasn’t long until he intercepted one of your blades once more and kicked you again, this time in your chest as you hit the side of the wall, leaving a dent in it from the Force push he used on you. You might have cracked a rib or two and you hissed from the pain. 

“Where is your confidence?” he mocked as he stared down at you from where he stood. “I thought you said you’d rather finish this quickly.”

The bastard was enjoying it and you wanted to wipe that smug look from his face. You growled as you launched yourself at him with only one of your blades as Vader parried your swings with his own. He soon switched from defensive to completely offensive, stumbling you in your attacks and then you found yourself trying to dodge his brutal attacks as he continued his assault. It took all of your concentration to try and parry each of his swings, your arms hurting from the vibrations your weapon was sending each time Vader struck. 

You didn’t realize your position until it was too late, Vader cornering you in the same spot you tried to do the same with him just earlier and then your back was pressed against the wall, your own blade inches from your chest as Vader calmly stared down at you.

“You lost,” he finally said and you couldn’t argue with him on that. He beat you at your own trick. 

He disengaged the blade before handing it back to you and you apprehensively took it from him, watching his face for any signs he was still wanting you to continue to fight but instead he sighed. 

“The lesson for today is over,” he started. “I will devise a specific training plan for you within a day. Your official training will start tomorrow.”

You bit the inside of your lip, refusing to let the tone of his voice anger you. “ _Fine_ ,” you spat out. 

You tried to walk past him but he stopped you with one of his outstretched hands in a placating manner. 

“Have dinner with me tonight,” you would have tripped if you weren’t already standing as you stared at Vader like he had lost his mind. 

“You haven’t eaten in a while,” he continued, noticing your expression and elaborating more. “I was simply making a suggestion - “

“A suggestion?” you asked. “Or a _request_?”

Vader worked his facial muscles until he replied, “A suggestion. I will have one of my droids sent for you if you decide to join me.”

You didn’t answer him and he continued to watch you for a moment longer before he swiftly turned around and left the training room. 

___

You were given a room in the guest wing of the Bast Castle, you learned the name of the fortress from T-2 who apparently was on friendly terms with Vader. The furniture was just as bleak as the one on Mustafar but you paid no mind to it, instead spending the remainder of the day feeling conflicted at Vader’s actions. Something had snapped him to get you to try and fight him while he knew you were still not fully covered if you could tell from the pain that was emitting from your wound and sharp echoes of it in your chest around your ribs. You didn’t have to look in the mirror to know your chest was already bruised. 

And if you were brutally honest with yourself, the damage done to you was all your fault to begin with. You knew you were no match for Vader but his attitude had pissed you off to the point that you _wanted_ to fight him and perhaps if you were lucky, actually land one attack on him and wipe that cocky look from his face. And you had another pressing matter to worry about, the damn Force and whatever it was doing to you and Vader. He did not acknowledge or even show an ounce of recognition that he was affected by the dream (no, not a dream, you thought. That felt so much more _real_.) and neither did you. And in all honesty you were hoping you fooled Vader enough that he thought you were still asleep although that was a far fetched possibility. Perhaps the best course of action was to ignore whatever it was and leave it alone. 

You did not want to face Vader. Your stomach was in knots at the prospect of spending alone time with him after what happened on Da Soocha V. You refused to dwell too much on it since the attack on the Rebel base and the shit show that happened afterwards but now that you had the time to think about it you wanted to hide away from him. You had actually _almost_ admitted your feelings to him at that time. And he _rejected_ you. Force, you were so stupid and foolish to think that there was a sliver of a chance that he would feel something for you. 

You groaned, pacing the small space of the room. What were you going to do? You had no chance of escaping from him, he already made that point by beating you in a duel. Your only other option was to be trained by him however long it took, get stronger, kick his ass and then leave all the while trying to ignore him any other time. But that would probably drive you mad, being all alone and confined on this lifeless planet with not even a sunlight present. And it wasn’t like you could stroll outside to get some fresh air either, you nearly died when it started raining _acid_. Maybe you could somehow contact your crew… A thought struck inside your head and you stopped pacing. Maybe you would join Vader for dinner if it meant you could get some more information from him, precisely the location of the control room of this fortress. 

As if on cue, you heard a knock on the door and when you opened you were greeted by one of the droids that Vader said he’d sent for you. 

“Mistress,” it intoned. “Lord Vader is expecting you.”

You nearly rolled your eyes at that. And he said this was merely a _suggestion_ not a request. Sounded like Vader expected you to join him one way or another. You sighed and let the droid lead you through the maze of the halls until you found yourself in a spacious room, similar to the one you stumbled on when you were trying to look for the exit. But this time, the room contained a long table meant for possibly fifty people if not more, and at the end of it you saw Vader already sitting at the head of the table. The droid left the room and you were rooted to the spot, unsure of what you should be doing next. 

“Are you planning on standing there all night long?” Vader finally asked, his hard gaze on you and you scowled, squaring your shoulders and then marching up to the seat next to him, off to the right side where you saw a second set of silverware and plates already waiting for you. You decided to swallow a snappy remark at the fact that Vader chose to place you next to his side and not some distance away. This was going to be a rather uncomfortable dinner as you finally seated yourself.

The silence that followed was broken by a swish of the doors and then sounds of whirling mechanisms as several droids rolled in, bringing in food and setting it in front of you. You were actually surprised to find that this was _real_ food and not some ratio portions or some other stuff you were expecting to find on this forsaken planet. It looked like a well balanced meal with some vegetables, proteins and even bread. You looked up at Vader in wonder when you noticed he did not have the same thing you did. He was simply given a glass full of weird color liquid with a straw and you frowned. 

“You are not eating?” you asked, eyeing the glass with distaste. 

“I am,” he replied, motioning with his hand to his drink. “This is my meal.”

“That does _not_ look like a meal,” you deadpanned. 

“Perhaps,” he replied, motioning towards your food. “It’s getting cold.”

“If you aren’t eating, what was the point of me coming in here then?” you asked, still frowning. “I could have eaten in my own room.”

When Vader did not reply you gritted your teeth before swiftly rising from the seat, readying to leave until the Force gently swirled around you, stopping you in your tracks.

“Stay,” Vader quietly said and you were ready to snap at him when he added. “Please.”

You were still standing when he dropped his hold on you, debating with yourself if you should leave when Vader spoke. 

“I cannot consume normal foods,” he continued in that same quiet tone. “And there’s a chance I would never be able to.”

You did not know what to say to that but he continued as though you’d asked him a question. 

“I’ve been fed intravenously for the majority of my life. My digestive system has pretty much shut down. The only way for me to receive my nutrients is by drinking these,” he motioned to the glass. 

You finally sat down after hearing this. “Okay,” was all you said before you dug into your own food. You didn’t realize how hungry you were until you started eating, trying to pace yourself as you fought with the instinct to just stuff your mouth full of food. But that would probably look very unlady-like. Once you were halfway through your meal you were starting to relax somewhat. Vader did not speak about anything else and you were not planning on starting a conversation with him any time soon. You refused to look at him but were very well aware that he was looking at you the whole time as he was sipping on his _meal_. 

“How’s your injury?” he finally asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence. 

You quickly glanced his way and curtly replied, “Fine.”

“Have the medical droids redress it before tomorrow,” he continued. “It opened up again during our duel.”

“Okay,” you replied absentmindedly, looking down at your plate. 

“You know why I did it,” he still continued talking and you mentally rolled your eyes at that. He was being very loquacious today and you were not in the mood for that.

“Yes, I know,” you replied, finishing up with your meal. 

“You are still angry about that,” he replied and you looked up at him.

“I’m not angry,” you frowned.

“ _Really_?” he asked, raising an eyebrow at your comment.

“Not about that at least,” you finally replied, switching your gaze back down. 

“Then what?” he continued with his questions and you gritted your teeth.

“You know _what_ ,” you snapped, your attempt at keeping your anger at bay all but failing. 

“This is about me keeping you here,” he replied and your answer was to glare at him, confirming his statement with your unspoken words. 

“Your life is in danger,” he said and his comment made you bristle as you twisted your whole body at him. 

“My life is in danger because of _you_ ,” you spat.

“I won’t argue with you on that one,” he started but before you could start with your verbal assault he continued. “And I’m planning on rectifying it once you're finished with your training.”

“I don’t see the point of me staying here exclusively,” you said. “Why can’t I leave? Why can’t I contact my own crew?”

“Because of Palpatine,” Vader answered with a sigh and the same look of tiredness crossed his features as the one you saw just yesterday. 

“What does _he_ have to do with anything?” you asked incredulously. 

“ _Everything_ ,” Vader supplied and you frowned from his unwillingness to elaborate. 

You watched Vader in silence, your gaze hard as you waited for him to explain his reasoning. Vader finished his drink with a grimace on his face before he turned his full attention on you. 

“For one,” he started. “I cannot risk him intercepting a transmission to your crew if you were to contact them. The channels your Rebellion used are now insecure. I cannot allow him to track the location of your crew and get a hold of my daughter and risk her life.”

You watched him in silence, your lips pressed in a tight line. So far, you were not happy with his reasoning, even if his words rang true in the Force. 

“How do you know they are safe if you can’t contact them?” you asked Vader, narrowing your eyes. 

“I know they are,” he replied. “I can feel Leia through the Force. And Artoo is with her, I am able to maintain my communication with him without having to worry about anything or anyone intercepting our calls.”

You frowned at that, somewhat agitated that Vader was able to communicate with the droid but you couldn’t. 

“And two,” Vader continued. “Palpatine now knows about you.”

This time you raised your eyebrow at that, giving Vader a perplexed look. “So? Why would that matter to him? He doesn’t even know who I am.”

“You are wrong,” Vader interrupted you, the muscles on his face and neck bulging from straining. 

“I don’t understand,” and you honestly didn’t. Why would you be in danger from Palpatine? You were a nobody, an ex-Inquisitor, a Rebel. Just an ordinary soldier in this messed up world. Palpatine had more pressing matters to attend to than worry about someone like you.

Vader groaned, practically rolling his eyes. “I had inadvertently shown him my weakness, to which you and I will both dearly pay for in the end.”

You stared at Vader blankly, his words not making any sense to you. “What weakness?”

Vader simply stared at you with a look that told you he was losing patience with you. “I must have hit you harder than I meant to,” he finally replied before shaking his head. 

You growled under your breath before swiftly raising yourself from the seat, this time planning on leaving the room. You were tired of trying to understand Vader’s reasoning. To you they all seemed like a complete bullshit, him simply tiptoeing around a much bigger issue he was obviously trying to avoid. You were still not convinced of his reasons for you to stay on Vjun with him and you had exhausted your patience with him for the day.

“Thank you for the meal,” you curtly said, at least being polite enough to thank him for going out of his way to make sure you ate something. 

He didn’t stop you this time and you left the room in haste, aware that his gaze was on your back until you disappeared through the double doors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not much plot here but I just felt like writing a more domesticated scene with the reader and Vader dining together :)
> 
> Also, I realize the word _fuck_ is not existent in the Star Wars universe but I felt it was an appropriate word to convey the message that Vader knew he was screwed, much better than the word kriff, don't you agree? And the Force just keeps teasing them :p
> 
> I also laughed writing the scene right after Vader beat the reader in the duel, being all cocky and Anakin-self and then just throwing a dinner date towards her out of the blue lol. 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed it! :)


	32. Framed.

“Either you defend or you attack, don’t try to attempt both at the same time,” Vader’s voice boomed across the large training room after he successfully, for the umpteenth time in the last hour, managed to overpower you in his attacks and you ended up on the ground, _again_. 

“Your fighting style requires you to use both of your lightsabers in your attacks, yet you try to use your right hand to attack and your left to defend. You will only let your opponent overpower you,” Vader continued as you scrambled to your feet, readying yourself in the attack position. 

“If I don’t defend you would simply slash something off of me,” you hissed in response. You were still wary of Vader and his infamous ways of training the first group of Inquisitors way before you could even walk or utter words as a child. 

“If that is how you think during the battle then perhaps I was wrong about you,” Vader replied as he twirled his own lightsaber in hand. 

“Well forgive me for being extra cautious around you,” you snapped back. “I actually want to keep my limbs, unlike you.”

You motioned with your head towards his arms and legs, both of which were metal prosthetics as you’ve just recently learned. Your comment did nothing to please Vader, in fact, it seemed that you’d only managed to anger him with your words. 

“Enough with this,” he hissed and lunged at you, bringing his blade down in a vicious blow against one of your blades and you hissed at how strong and brute his attack was this time. You almost managed to drop your blade from the viciousness of the attack, your defense swiftly crumbling as Vader continued to assault you with his blows. 

“Your other weakness is your own lack of strength,” Vader continued his teachings, or rather his criticism, as he once again made you stumble back. “Your defense capabilities are weak, you simply do not possess the strength to defend yourself against a stronger opponent. Someone like me or Maul.”

You pushed back against his blade, gritting your teeth as you finally managed to separate your blade from the grid lock of his blade against yours. 

“Maul is a master of dual-blade combat,” Vader continued as he circled around you. “Although he rarely uses Jar’Kai and prefers to duel with his saber-staff instead and favors more of a single-blade approach with form VII, the most vicious form of lightsaber combat. But if you duel with him, he will know all your weaknesses and strengths and will easily overpower you if you do not perfect your fighting style.”

You listened closely to Vader, despite being aggravated at the fact that he seemed to be _only_ focusing on your weaknesses and not the other way around. 

“The same with Palpatine,” Vader said and then grimaced. “Although it is unlikely you’ll ever have to fight with him. You won’t stand a sliver of a chance against him.”

“That’s _very_ reassuring,” you rolled your eyes at that. “I thought your whole idea of training was so that I could withstand fights against stronger opponents.”

“That is correct,” Vader answered you. “But if it comes down to the fight between Maul and Palpatine, I would much rather have you fight Maul. At least you’ll have a higher chance of getting out unscathed.”

“Sounds like you actually admire the man,” you said in wonder and Vader scoffed. 

“He had managed to survive our previous duel, I at least commend him for that,” Vader scornfully said as he readjusted the grip on his lightsaber. 

“Bring your left hand higher up and when you change your grips, use each of your arms individually in your swings but with repeated sequence, so that you continually keep attacking and defending at the same time,” Vader had instructed you.

“I thought you just told me _not_ to do that,” you frowned. 

“Not the way you do it, no,” Vader confirmed before he called another lightsaber to his other hand. “Watch me do it.”

He engaged the sequence on the wall console with the Force and several of the combat droids turned on and advanced towards him. You got out of the way just in time when Vader started swirling both of the lightsabers in his hands and then with swift and precise movements managed to strike each of the droids in an under-record amount of time. 

“The key with dueling both lightsabers is balance,” he continued once he finished with the droids. “Whoever had taught you did a poor job of explaining the fighting style to you. Jar’Kai is not the easiest fighting style to master.”

“I taught myself,” you shrugged and earned a raised eyebrow from Vader as he stared at you. 

“This explains so much,” he groaned and you narrowed your eyes. 

“What the hell is _that_ supposed to mean?” you asked offended as you neared him. 

“It means that you needed a proper teacher to begin with,” Vader answered you. “Why the Force did you decide on wielding _both_ lightsabers?”

You shrugged. “Something called to me,” you answered. “And I found it rather easy to wield both of them at the same time. The idea of having one made me feel _exposed_.”

“Don’t make it a habit of relying fully on your weapons,” Vader warned.

“You seem to know quite a lot about Jar’Kai,” you decided to switch the topic of your conversation, getting quite tired of Vader consistent nitpicking. “I’ve never seen you use that form though until now that is.”

Vader faltered for a split second and you thought you saw something akin to guilt crossing his face until he morphed his face back into passive neutrality. 

“My previous apprentice used to favor this style,” he finally answered. 

You were quite surprised to hear that statement from Vader. “Apprentice? Wasn’t there some kind of a Sith rule that there could only be two Sith at a time?”

“A Master and his Apprentice,” Vader confirmed with the nod of his head. “I wasn’t talking about my time as a Sith. She was once Anakin Skywalker’s padawan.”

“Oh,” you didn’t know what to say to that so you blurted out the first thing that came to your mind. “Did you kill her?”

Vader’s body stiffened and he locked his jaw, his gaze becoming hard once again. “That is an irrelevant question that has nothing to do with your training. Enough with the chatter.”

Vader unexpectedly lunged at you again, this time switching up his fighting style between a mixture of Jar’Kai and Juyo, mimicking the fighting style that you would most likely encounter fighting Maul. You managed to parry each and every one of his brutal strikes, your eyes focused on his impossibly fast movements without paying much of the attention around your surroundings. That was your own mistake until you stumbled in your footing when you tripped over the part of the mangled droid lying on the floor, your focus shifting and then you found yourself dropping one of your lightsabers at Vader’ particularly vicious attack, your arm throbbing from the intensity of his attack. 

“That was _pitiful_ ,” Vader sneered and you bristled at his insult as you glared at him.

“Yeah, well, once again, I’m not the one who has metal limbs that could aid me in a super human strength,” you snidely replied and this time Vader attacked you with the Force, slamming you against the wall. 

“I don’t recall seeing in your file anything about you talking back to your superiors,” Vader replied instead as he advanced towards your crumpled form on the ground. “But then again, that’s _all_ you do nowadays.”

You froze at hearing his words, your body tensing and your mind going blank for a second before you hissed at him, feeling another sharp pain in your chest. He definitely cracked one of your ribs this time. 

“You looked into my file?” you asked him, feeling anger and apprehension at the prospect that he was reading up on you, your whole life like an open book for him to read and nitpick at all the mistakes you’ve done during your time serving the Empire. 

“There wasn’t much to look at,” he answered as he stood above you. “A mere girl, lucky enough to join the Imperial Academy after your parents’ death in an unfortunate accident on some backwater planet in the Outer Rim. Yet, you thought you were someone special as you’ve managed to graduate the Academy in just one year, drawing the attention of the Grand Inquisitor. And perhaps you were, to some degree, one of the _best_ out of all the new Inquisitors that joined the Inquisitorius Program.”

Vader leaned down to glare at you. “But trust my word. If you had joined ten years prior while I was still supervising the Program you would not have lasted a week. I cannot tolerate beings that think they’re above all others, broadcasting their abilities that mean absolutely _nothing_ compared to the true power of the Force. The Grand Inquisitor was too lenient with you and your training.” 

You raised yourself off the ground, glaring at Vader with pure hate in your eyes as your body shook from the unleashed emotions, his words like a sharp knife stabbing into your heart.

“You know absolutely _nothing_ about me,” you hissed at him. 

“I know enough,” he replied, uncaring. “To draw my conclusions about you. And so far, my expectations have been proven correct.”

“ _Screw_ _you_.”

The look in Vader’s eyes should have terrified you but you didn’t care. The past few days had been enough to let you finally snap, all your trapped emotions you tried so hard to hide letting loose and erupting in a supernova explosion. Vader’s mention of your life before the Empire and your parents’ death was the last straw as you rounded up on him. 

“You think you’re better than everyone else?” you yelled in his face. “That you don’t have your own faults? You’re so conceited that you don’t even realize what you’re doing to others. I’m sick and tired of your constant criticism, your obvious emotional _problems_ , your snarky attitude, _everything_ . I don’t need this. We are _done_.”

You disengaged your sabers and swiftly walked past him, hissing at the pain from your chest with every step. Your whole body hurt and yet the emotional abuse you just went through with Vader hurt even more. 

“We are _not_ done,” Vader growled and the next second he stepped in front of you. “We are far from being done.”

“Yes, we are,” you hissed, trying to get past him but Vader leaned his whole height against you which made you lift your chin high up to glare at the man. 

“Giving up so easily?” he hissed. “After I merely pointed out your faults to you?”

“You did more than that,” you yelled back. “You went far and beyond what was needed. You brought my _personal_ life into this.”

“Oh?” he laughed at that, dry and unamused. “We are now talking about _personal_ matters? As you managed to dig into _my_ own _personal_ moment?”

You knew he was referencing the memory you saw of him on Mustafar, choking his own wife. 

“ _That_ was different,” you yelled. “I never asked to see that. I never asked to be involved in your own matters. I never wanted this, I still don’t!”

“That doesn’t change the fact that you now possess such information,” he growled. 

“And that gives you the permission to dig into my past?” you were on the verge of breaking, your eyes burning from the unshed tears, your chest constricting as your emotions seemed to want to overpower you. 

“I don’t see the problem with that,” he scoffed. “If anything, your past seems just as bleak as Tatooine's desert. There isn’t much - “

You didn’t let him finish the sentence as you slapped him hard across the face, caution thrown to the wind as you trembled in anger in front of him. The silence that followed was only interrupted by your harsh breaths as you tried to calm your wildly beating heart. Vader finally turned his head to look at you, his gaze unreadable, his eyes completely yellow. 

“The unfortunate _accident_ ,” you started through clenched teeth. “Was a cover up by the Empire. An incident that occurred between one of the Imperial outposts and the residents of the _backwater planet_ as you put it. A renegade Jedi had apparently tried to infiltrate the outpost where my parents worked. Which, of course, had brought the attention of none other than Darth Vader himself as he brought his whole battalion with him. What he didn’t expect was for people of the planet to try and defend the Jedi. And what did he do? He ordered the killing of every single resident that opposed the rule of the Empire. But the Jedi was not willing to give up. He decided to take the Imperial workers hostage, which only lasted for a few hours when Vader had enough of the Jedi’s tricks. The fight ensued, and the Jedi decided that if he was going to die he might as well kill everyone around him as he blew up the whole outpost, killing everyone inside of it, including my parents that were loyal supporters to the Empire. And instead of them being recognized, the Empire erased their files, claiming this to be a freak accident as to not let anyone else know that the Jedi had outmaneuvered them.”

You bit back tears, as you continued with a slight waver in your voice. “I wasn’t just _lucky_ to get in the Imperial Academy. I always wanted it, had always looked up to it, wanting to be a pilot or maybe even an officer one day. The day my parents died I vowed to get into the Academy and avenge their deaths. I _never_ expected to be noticed by the Inquisitor and never even dreamt that I would be Force-sensitive until I had to take the test. So I took that opportunity and plunged with it, expecting it to be a great service to the Empire until I saw first-hand the atrocities the Empire was committing against its people it vowed to protect. And I was part of that destruction for the next four years serving as the Inquisitor. Ironic how the Empire that I trusted so much had opened up my eyes to my wrong doings after the fateful day when the Emperor ordered to kill most of us off. And even more so that after all these years I finally realized that perhaps the Jedi were never the bad guys the Empire led us all to believe, that my parents wouldn’t have died in that attack if only the Jedi were not hunted like dogs by _you_ and the Emperor.”

You spat the last part with venom in your voice. “So now you have my _whole_ story. You are welcome to nitpick at it more if that’s what gets you off.”

You were prepared for Vader to unleash his fury at you slapping him, perhaps stabbing you with his lightsaber through your chest or flinging you across the room with the Force. Instead, he stood still with an appalled expression on his face, his eyes regressing back to blue as he continued to watch your face. You immediately felt tired, _exhausted_ , beyond the normal way and you hastily backed off from Vader, keeping your eyes on him in case he actually decided to snap. 

“We are done,” you told him once more and made your leave. 

___

You didn’t see Vader for the remainder of the day and then the following day but you weren’t complaining. If anything, it gave you the time to clear your head and meditate, trying to get your emotions under control. Your outburst with Vader had a lot to do with the Dark Side of the Force, its presence thick and consuming on this planet as you recalled Vader explaining to you that this fortress was once used as Sith stronghold and one of the pinnacles of the Dark Side. The side effects of staying in such a place for too long led people to be consumed by their own emotions, anger, hate and fear overpowering all the other feelings, making this place the perfect location to study the Dark Arts. 

You were still reeling from losing control of your emotions in front of Vader, appalled at your own audacity at slapping Vader across his face, and then somehow still managing to be alive even hours after the incident. Vader had never made it his intention to find you and punish you for the insolence, and you were too angry and exhausted at the time to actually care if he would seek you out. But now, after almost two days of not hearing back from him, the only presence you’ve witnessed were that of droids, you were starting to get concerned. For your own sake and for the sake of Vader. You didn’t know what kind of hole you dug for yourself this time but you planned to find out sooner rather than later what it was Vader was up to.

You left your room to wander around the halls of the fortress, now somewhat familiar to you since you’ve spent the last few days living beside Vader, making a wide berth of the area where you knew Vader’s own quarters were located, not willing the chance to encounter him anywhere near his own personal space. You were already feeling vulnerable enough and apprehensive about the whole situation. And to make matters worse, you were almost positive that the dream you shared with him a while back was inside his quarters. You didn’t want to find out if your hunch was correct. 

You weren’t sure what you’d do if you’d actually stumbled on him. You certainly weren’t going to apologize for losing your temper and going off on Vader in a manner that you’d be appalled any other time. You would have never even attempted to lay your hand on him at any other time, and definitely not when you’d first met him. You didn’t have the connection with him that you had now to cross that boundary with him. And perhaps his lack of proper response was due for the same reasons that you and Vader were now both connected on the inner level besides that of having a mutual enemy and fighting for the same goal. You knew that the Force had a much larger play at the connection you and Vader shared. 

And perhaps Vader felt a sliver of guilt at what happened to your parents. After all, that was what set you off in the first place, him calling your parents’ death an ‘unfortunate accident’. Over the years you tried to forget about that, after all you lost your parents at the age of thirteen, old enough to remember them and the memories you shared with them but not old enough to _really_ know what it all meant. You had spent the first few years after their deaths getting into the Imperial Academy and consuming yourself fully in the coursework and Imperial drills, graduating at the top of your class and in the record amount of time, trying to make the memory of your parents’ proud that you managed to do what they always wanted of you. 

And then the Grand Inquisitor appeared, out of thin air, collecting the needed information about the cadets and he stumbled upon you, greatly impressed at your performance. So you took the test that measured your Force sensitivity and you were surprised when the results came back much higher than average, enough to pique the interests of the Empire and enroll you into the Inquisitorius Program. You knew it was an honor to accept such a position from the elite group, whispers of Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader’s Dark Side agents in the back of your mind. 

You were immediately trained in the arts of the Force and you greedily sucked up all the information and being the obedient and loyal solder that you were, became one of the best Inquisitors in the span of four years serving the Galactic Empire under the patronage of the Grand Inquisitor and Darth Vader, the latter of whom you’d never met during your service. And you silently hoped you’d never have the chance to do so. You’d heard stories of him through other cadets and warriors, even the Grand Inquisitor himself, fear of the man radiating off those that had met him. How much you wished that idealistic hope was still true, now being acquainted with Vader on a much _personal_ level. 

You learned the true cause of your parents’ death only later, when you were already fully immersed in the Dark Side, consumed by it in the Force hold, when your true self was all but extinguished as you slaughtered the innocents and those the Empire deemed necessary to die just because the Emperor had said so. And by then you stopped caring about any of it, too far gone to really stop and think what you were doing. You never considered Darth Vader to be responsible for your parents’ death, it wasn’t him that blew up the facility, killing everyone including your parents. It was the Jedi’s fault. You believed the Jedi to be evil, fed with the same propaganda as the rest of the Empire about the Jedi’s atrocities and crimes committed against the Empire. You were only too happy to try and hunt down the rest of them.

That all changed when the order came to dispose of most of the Inquisitor’s Force, your own belief shaken in the Empire after you’ve started to realize the true intent behind Empire’s acts. And thus when you finally met Luke Skywalker, the last Jedi and the hero of the Rebellion, you were unsure and even somewhat intimidated by him. Your anger at the Jedi that killed your parents resurfaced every time you crossed paths with him. You were glad that he never approached you, but also somewhat disappointed you never had the chance to talk to him about what it meant to be a Jedi. You never had the chance to learn the opposite of the Dark Side of the Force. 

You remembered when Leia Organa had asked you to raise your blade against the Inquisitors when the time came to defend your life and the Rebellion. And how her words had angered you at the subtle implication she was making about you being more than just the ex-Inquisitor, the word ‘Jedi’ hung in the air, unspoken by her but the intent eligible enough to discern it. You would _never_ consider yourself to be one, and the Force had agreed with you on that one when it showed you the glimpse of your future and had given you the gift of the yellow kyber crystals. 

Yet here you were, once again in the presence of an ex-Jedi and a Sith Lord, who had resurfaced your pent up emotions and memories behind your parents’ death and you were unsure of what to do next. You were already quite angry with him for keeping you on Vjun against your will, on top of other things such as your unidentified feelings towards him you tried so hard to suppress. One more thing was now added to the growing list of things you should certainly hate about the Dark Lord but you found in yourself that you simply couldn’t, your feelings be damned. 

You found yourself in one of the empty rooms that looked like a small office, different from the one you knew Vader had for his personal meetings that you had recently discovered. You quickly glanced around, making sure that you were alone before entering and sweeping your gaze until you found what you were looking for. You had every intention to contact your crew, one way or another, regardless of Vader's opinion about doing such a thing. If anything, now was as good a time as ever to get the hell out of here before you did something worse than slapping Vader, like perhaps very much dying by his hand or from his training. 

There was a small holo transmitter sitting on top of the table and you fumbled around, trying to figure out the sequence. But to your dismay you found that you needed Vader’s security code to make a call. You sighed in frustration and hit the side of the table with your fist, accidentally turning on the holocaster that had a programmed News Channel on the HoloNet.

“... _and to think that the war is finally over_ ,” the voice of a middle aged man cut through the silence and your attention was drawn to the scene of several men and women, sitting around a semi-circular table, the background of Coruscant behind them.

“ _I must say I was quite shocked myself to learn of Darth Vader’s survival_ ,” a woman chuckled as she shook her head with elaborate hairdo. 

“ _Aren’t we all?_ ” supplied another man. “ _And to learn that Darth Vader is and always has been a once-missing Jedi, believed to have perished in the aftermath of the Jedi purge at the end of Clone Wars. How ironic is it that he was the one responsible for the Jedi’s countless deaths by his own hand?_ ”

“ _I must say such a thing should not be surprising coming from Darth Vader,_ ” another man quipped in. “ _After all, to think that he was working with Rebels was beyond the doubt one of the most brilliant things a man such as himself could have done to trick them all._ ”

“ _Ah yes, the destruction of the Rebel base on Da Soocha V was undeniably one of the worst defeats the Rebellion had ever witnessed. And we must thank Lord Vader for finally achieving the end of the war._ ”

“ _I wonder what the Supreme Leader thinks of all this,_ ” a female voice cut in. “ _I heard a rumor that he had tried to kill Lord Vader several times in the span of the last few months_.”

“ _Nonsense_ !” a man scoffed. “ _I had always believed that if anyone should have inherited the throne it should have been Lord Vader._ ”

You frowned, switching the channels one after the other, only to find that each and every one of them talked about one thing. The destruction of the Rebel Alliance. Their total defeat. The end of the Galactic Civil War. The survival of Darth Vader.

“ _...I mean look at this footage_!” your focus shifted to a recording of the trial and your eyes widened when you saw Vader kneeling on the floor, his focus shifted to something in the distance when you realized he must be looking at General Rieekan, or rather Palpatine, when Vader finally realized who the man was. 

You frowned when the footage changed, and instead of Palpatine uttering the words of betrayal and the Rebel Alliance’s utter defeat, somehow it was Vader saying those words as he announced that the Alliance had lost and there was no escape. You watched in horror, realizing seconds later, that someone had altered the footage, making it seem like Vader had betrayed the Rebellion and helped their destruction. Now the words of the newsmen all made sense. Someone framed Vader and now the whole world knew that not only Vader was alive, but who he was prior to becoming Darth Vader and also that he had _destroyed_ the Rebellion. 

You shut off the HoloNet, practically shaking with anger as you gritted your teeth. You knew exactly who had altered the footage. But the question was, why would Palpatine go through such lengths and frame Vader? If anything, it seemed that people were supportive of Vader’s motives, even if they were untrue. Unless Vader had lied to you and everyone else. Unless he wasn’t telling you the whole truth. And somehow you believed just that, knowing from your own personal experience that Vader lied just as any other man and your heart sank to the pit of your stomach as you digested this new information. Had Vader always worked with Palpatine or Thrawn on the sides while appearing to be helping the Rebellion?

You didn’t want to believe that but in your heart the seed of doubt already formed and you couldn’t shake the feeling that you were played. And if that was the case you were going to find out one way or another the whole truth. Even if it killed you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was unsure about this chapter when I was writing it but it stuck and I decided to keep the background story of the reader. And no, she does not blame Vader if her own monologue with herself did not make it clear. If anything, she blames the Jedi for what happened. She was fed with the same lies and bullshit as everyone else about them so her hate is justifiable. And also why she was so adamant that she was not a Jedi. 
> 
> I also altered my own take on how the Inquisitors recruited the new users. I mixed part of it with the Star Wars Rebels after cadets graduate from the Academy but I also changed how people get tested if they are Force-sensitive. They don't get blood tested when they are born and plus she was born around the same time when the Galactic Empire first formed. And it's not a requirement to get tested when you enroll into the Academy unless you catch attention of the Inquisitor that is searching for new members. The Inquisitors that started out as Dark Jedi had long been killed in missions so the Empire had to find a different way to recruit Force-users and then brainwash them. Hopefully it made sense. 
> 
> I hope you liked this chapter. I promise you you are going to love the next few coming up! Stay tuned <3


	33. Feelings.

You gritted your teeth, hating the way your indecisiveness and apprehension was threatening to dissolve your resolve at getting the answers from Vader. After another hour searching through the fortress for any signs of Vader and even calling out to him in the Force through your mental link, you still had not found him and neither had he tried to return your attempts at contacting him. You found yourself at the last place you hoped to be in, in front of heavy durasteel doors behind which were Vader’s personal quarters. This was the only place you had not attempted to look. The Force felt muted around Vader but you could feel a faint streak of it coming from behind the doors and you were sure Vader was somewhere inside. 

What was aggravating to you the most was your hesitation at knocking at his door and getting his attention. You had a growing suspicion that his muted Force signature and lack of presence anywhere near you had everything to do with your outburst with him a few days prior. You felt a solid wall and near silence on the other end of your link with him and you did not like it. It made you feel cold and isolated, the feeling all but unnatural to you as you’ve never experienced such a close connection to anyone. Once you had a taste and feel of someone’s Force presence so close entwined with yours, even as dark and cold as Vader’s, the lack of it made you feel disoriented and lost. 

You growled under your breath and then with a hiss of breath, raised your hand to knock only for the doors to unexpectedly swish open. You were startled from the movement, expecting to see Vader on the other side of the threshold but instead were met with complete darkness inside the room. Or at least you hoped it was a room. You could not distinguish anything on the other side and you frowned when the only sound you heard was that of your beating heart. 

“Vader?” you tentatively called out, peeking inside the room and squinting, trying to see in the dark. 

Silence was your only answer and you frowned. Where the hell was Vader?

“Vader?” you tried again, this time louder as you slowly stepped inside the room. The cold air inside bit into your skin and you shivered as you rubbed your hands up and down your arms, looking around in the dark, trying to see ahead of you.

“Vader, I’m - “ you shrieked when you stumbled over something and then to make matters worse, the doors swished shut behind you, trapping you inside the room. 

_ Kriff _ . 

You bit your lip, relying fully on your senses to get a feel of the Force around you. Nothing felt abnormal, no sense of danger or dark aura that was normally emitting from Vader. It was eerily quiet too and you tensed, expecting something to pounce at you in the pitch black. You tried to even out your breaths as you slowly made further inside the room. 

Slowly but surely, your eyes started to adjust to the darkness and you started to make out shapes in the distance. The echoes around the room from your footsteps told you that the area you were in was quite large and spacious with a high ceiling. You made it further in until your gaze caught a large cylindrical object almost in the middle of the room and you neared closer to it. It looked like a bacta tank and upon closer inspection you realized that it was indeed what you thought it was. It was clearly unused and turned off and you had a vague suspicion that Vader had used it during his stay at the Bast Castle to heal his broken body. 

Your eyes swept past the tank to see various devices laying on the benches off to the distance and you started heading towards them when a faint noise caught your attention off to the side of where you were. Your senses immediately sharpened and you turned your head to find a low light coming from underneath another door embedded into the wall and when you stretched your senses you found your pathway blocked by a mental barrier, confirming your guess that Vader was behind that door. You huffed in annoyance at the fact that Vader was simply ignoring you and not answering your calls. He should have heard you enter and call out to him several times by now. 

You hastily made your way across the room, mindful of any other objects lying in your pathway until you stopped in front of the smaller door and knocked. You waited a long moment and then tried again, knocking louder. By the time you did it the third time your patience had worn out completely so you flung the door open, ready to shout at Vader at his ridiculous behavior of trying to ignore you. Except he wasn’t there either. 

You stepped inside, wary of the large bed in the middle of what looked like a bedroom, the sheets tangled up and scrunched in a heaping mess, its dark colors vividly reminding you of the explicit position you found yourself in waking up on top of Vader in your Force dream. For some reason, unknown to you, you neared the bed and then touched the sheets, feeling its silkiness under your fingers. You were mildly surprised to find the bed still warm until you realized that Vader must have woken up not that long ago. Then if he wasn’t in his bedroom, where was he?

Your question was answered second later when another door opened right behind you and your heart dropped to the pit of your stomach when you heard an undeniable sound of Vader’s metal feet clanking on top of the hard floor. You turned around just in time to see him exiting what looked to be a fresher, his body practically naked except a towel wrapped around his hips as he attempted to dry his now much longer hair with another towel, his attention unfocused and not paying any mind to you. 

That was until you made a soft gasp, his body stiffening as his head snapped your way to find his shocked expression on his face which swiftly turned into anger. 

“What are you doing  _ here _ ?” he snapped, his voice laced with anger just as much as his hard gaze bore into you, unsettling you beyond the uncomfortable silence that followed after you failed to answer him, still stunned speechless to actually stumble on Vader after he took a kriffing shower. Talk about the worst timing ever. 

“I asked you a question,” his voice rumbled as he stepped closer to you, causing you to finally act and stumble back in an attempt to distance yourself from him. You did not account for the edge of the bed to be right behind you as you tripped over it and fell on top of the mattress. Your body locked up as soon as your back hit the soft mattress, the silky sheets tangling all around you as Vader’s scent enveloped your senses. You looked in complete hopelessness and fear at Vader, who stood still some distance away from you, his expression a mixture of anger and another emotion you couldn’t decipher in his eyes, which had darkened considerably as his gaze swept up and down your body. 

“How did you get in?” he finally asked, closing the distance and stopping at the foot of the bed, glaring down at you. You were still frozen, unable to move a single muscle as you stared at him, your body heating up despite your furious attempts at calming down your wildly beating heart. You didn’t know why the sight of Vader, practically naked, standing at the foot of his bed and glaring down at you made you heat up, your core clenching at the prospect of something happening beyond your control. You almost wished the dream you shared with Vader was now true.

“I won’t repeat myself again,” Vader hissed and the spell broke as your eyes focused on his livid expression, his eyes the color of bright lava staring down at you. 

“I- I was looking for you,” you stumbled for words. “The door just opened and I - “

“Nonsense,” Vader snapped. “I locked the outside door. You could not have gotten in without my authorization codes.”

You frowned at that. “I’m telling the truth. The door opened and I thought you were in there.” You moved your head in the direction of the bigger room outside his bedroom. 

“So now you’re telling me it’s the Force that’s opening the doors?” Vader scoffed. “It’s bad enough that we are sharing the same dreams, now  _ this _ ?”

You bit your lip, feeling small and helpless in this situation and inadvertently drew Vader’s gaze to your lips, his gaze darkening once more. He hissed something in Huttese and then faster than you could blink, leaned his body closer to bed, the heat practically radiating off his body as he towered over your small form. You immediately reacted in the way that was considered to be childish for your age as you finally found yourself able to move and practically crawled away from Vader on top of his bed to the opposite corner, his sheets tangling more around your ankles and knees. You knew your cheeks were red from all the heat, your breathing uneven as you tried to calm your erratically beating heart, trying and failing to ignore the wetness that leaked out from between your legs. Vader gave you an unimpressed look, his eyebrow raised in a manner that told you he was mildly amused at your reaction but decided not to comment on it. Instead, he straightened himself out as he crossed his arms across his bare chest. 

“What is it that you wanted from me?” he asked and you frowned from the uncharacteristic coldness directed at you.

You cleared your throat, trying to regain your composure. “Perhaps we can talk in the other room,” you slowly said and then as an afterthought added. “And once you’re dressed.”

Vader watched you with a hard gaze, while you tried to maintain his eye contact without focusing on anything else, like the fact that you were gripping the silky bed sheets and breathing in his scent that was permeating the room. You needed to clear your head. 

“Leave the room,” he ordered and you numbly stared back at him, your body refusing to listen to you once again. 

Vader shifted, getting agitated and angry once more, before he rounded the side of the bed and appeared next to you, swiftly grabbing your arm and yanking you to the edge with a forceful move which caused you to hiss in pain. You were on your feet in seconds, now staring at Vader’s chest, in much closer proximity than you would have liked to be after everything that happened between the two of you. 

“I won’t repeat again,” he growled and you looked up to see him glaring down at you with a deadly look in his eyes. 

You didn’t want to see what would have happened had you refused him this time so you hastily made your way out to the bigger room, the door to his bedroom shutting with a hiss behind your back as you stood still and tried to process what the hell had happened back in the room. You still could not believe you had walked in on Vader practically naked, his body still wet from the shower as a few water droplets were running along his chest and abs, disappearing down past the V-line of his lower abdomen into the towel, hiding the part of him you had felt quite recently pressing against your thigh in your shared dream. You almost groaned out loud, mortified at how your body reacted at the sight of his sculpted body. You would have to rectify your body’s response later on in the confines of your own bedroom, pleasuring yourself with your own hands.

The door behind you opened with a hiss, startling you from your daydreaming and you almost jumped out of the way when you felt Vader’s gaze burning into your back. 

“What are you doing just standing here?” he snapped and you whirled around to face a fully clothed Vader, and took a few steps behind to create some distance between the two of you before you stumbled over something on the floor and would have fallen if it wasn’t for Vader reaching out to you and grabbing your arms in his, his now gloved hands sending mild shocks throughout your body. And just as swiftly, Vader withdrew his touch as though burned by it, his expression sour as he walked past you and with the Force turned on the lights. 

You were greeted with a sight of many medical equipment littering the floors and tables of the room, the space looking more like a war zone than someone’s quarters. You took it all in, you gaze sweeping past the bacta tank once more until you realized that it was still full and looked like it was just recently used and then your gaze flickered over to Vader as he ignored your curious glance. 

“How are your lungs?” you finally asked, unable to tolerate the silence much longer. You had forgotten about his injury during the past few days but now that you could see all the equipment, you were worried that somehow whatever Palpatine had done to him was more serious than Vader led to believe. 

Vader turned around to face you, his face scowled in anger. “ _ That’s _ what you came here to talk about?”

“No, I - “ you started, unable to keep the worry out of your voice. “I just wanted to make sure you were alright.”

“ _ Really _ ?” he sneered, practically scoffing at you. “You don’t need to worry yourself about such trivial things as  _ caring _ about my well-being.”

“They’re not trivial,” you slowly started, your own anger rising at Vader’s nasty tone. “You were hurt - “

“I’m  _ fine _ ,” he snapped, interrupting you. “If you have nothing else to say then leave.”

You bristled at his cold dismissal, your anger finally overtaking you. “Is this about what happened at the training ground? About me - ?”

Vader growled and you felt all the warnings in the Force, the hairs on your skin standing up from the pent up tension rolling in the air. The next moment Vader was in front of you, his height towering over yours as he bared his teeth in sneer. 

“I believe you made your point quite  _ obvious _ during our last exchange,” his voice was low and dangerous. “There is no longer any point of me keeping you here against your will, as you’ve put it.”

You frowned, not quite understanding Vader’s words. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying that you may leave the grounds at your will,” he answered. “I won’t stop you the next time you decide to do so.”

You watched Vader in confusion, elated at the prospect of finally leaving Vjun but also feeling disappointed and something akin to longingness already forming in your heart at the prospect of leaving Vader’s side. You were unsure as to why you were feeling this way when only recently you were determined to leave this forsaken planet at all costs. 

“No words?” Vader sneered and then scoffed. “I see you can’t be pleased regardless of the outcomes presented to you.”

You shook your head, dismissing his jab and deciding to focus on the issue that brought you here in the first place. “Did you know of the altered footage?”

Vader’s face morphed into scowl. “What does it matter now?” he hissed.

“It matters!” you argued back. “Vader, you were framed. The whole galaxy now believes the lies that Palpatine fed them.”

“It wouldn’t be the first time for Palpatine to fool the whole world,” Vader answered, too calm and collected for your liking.

“And you don’t have a problem with that?” you asked, your eyes narrowing. “You’re perfectly content with being labeled as a traitor of the Rebellion, fooling them all in believing you were working for them while secretly plotting their demise and actually working for the Empire as a double sided-agent?”

Your heart beat wildly in your chest once you finished with the question. You had to know Vader’s plans and schemes now that the Rebellion had been wiped out. You had to know the truth.

Vader narrowed his own eyes, his stance shifting as he loomed over you. “Are you accusing me of lying,  _ again _ , after I’ve already proven myself to your Rebellion multiple times?”

Vader had caught on your attempt at finding the truth from him. You wouldn’t expect anything less from him, of course. 

“It wouldn’t be the first time,” you replied, echoing his earlier comment as you attempted to glare at Vader and willing yourself to calm for throwing accusations his way in the state he was in. 

You weren’t expecting for Vader to uncoil his emotions, the wall separating your mind from him that prevented you from reaching out to him across your mental bond all but crumbling, when you felt a floodgate of his emotions ricocheting off your own mental walls and you winced at the intensity of it all. 

“When had I  _ ever _ lied to you?” he snapped, almost yelling, his eyes blazing bright yellow as he took harsh breaths to calm down. 

“Need I remind you?” you spat back, your own anger rising while your heart clenched tightly in your chest. 

Vader uttered more curses in Huttese under his breath, his eyes flashing before he gritted his teeth, the sound of teeth crunching under the intensity of his clenching. 

“I  _ never _ intended for what happened to the Rebellion to transpire,” he finally answered. “Accuse me of anything else but  _ not _ for lying. I may not deny my intentions for the Rebellion’s demise while I was still serving the Emperor but my plans have changed ever since the Battle of Endor.” 

_ And after Luke’s death. _ His thought unconsciously crossed over to you and you knew that he was telling the truth, the Force swirling around both of you as you glimpsed into his feelings projected loud and clear through your bond. 

“You have all the right to doubt me,” Vader continued and the inflection in his voice caught your attention. “I was untruthful with you, but I never intended to lie. It was for your own good, at least that’s what I believed in.”

You frowned, confused by his words and the swift change of topic. You knew Vader wasn’t talking about the Rebellion. This was a much personal matter. 

“What are you talking about?” you asked, crossing your arms over the chest while trying to maintain your glare. Your neck was starting to cramp from you looking up at Vader’s face, him standing near inches away from you, his form towering over your shorter one which prompted you to keep your chin raised high as to not back down from this argument, or whatever it was you were both engrossed in. 

Vader watched your face, his anger receding behind his own mental walls which he swiftly placed back up and you almost sighed in relief when you felt your own headache receding caused from Vader’s onslaught of emotions. 

“When I told you I didn’t feel a thing,” he answered and if you weren’t confused before you certainly were now, almost aggravated at the fact that Vader was not making much sense and you were quite tired to try and decipher his meanings.

He sighed, catching in on your thoughts, his facial muscles flexing as he tried to formulate his next words. 

“Back on the base,” he elaborated, slow with his words, as though having hard time to utter them. “After I kissed you.”

You stared at him dumbfounded, your own face morphing into shock at hearing Vader’s words. “Wh-what?”

Vader almost groaned, his eyes making a subtle roll at your incompetence at understanding what it was he was trying to say. 

“I didn’t tell you the truth because I don’t know  _ what _ it is I’m feeling for you,” he continued and his words froze you once you finally realized Vader’s meaning. “I couldn’t risk telling you this at the time. I didn’t want you to  _ die _ because of me.”

You opened and closed your mouth several times, trying to formulate the words and failing, as you tried to grasp the fact that Vader just admitted his own feelings for you. 

“I didn’t account for Palpatine,” Vader continued, oblivious to your stupor his words caused you to fall in. “I put you in a much greater risk by revealing my affection for you in public when those bastards tried to harm you.”

He spat the last part with venom, recalling the part when the guards grabbed you during the trial with brutal handling and Vader’s uncharacteristic response to them by ordering them to not touch you, although his words fell on silent ears as you were subjected to the electric currents emitting from the collar. 

“Your reason number two,” you whispered, once you connected all the dots and recalling your conversation over dinner with Vader a few nights back, him explaining the reasonings behind your stay with him at the fortress. 

Vader subtly nodded, although his face remained stoned and his glare still on you, making you feel unsettled at the intensity projected off of him. 

“Then why,” you faltered with your words, trying to understand. “Why would you send me away, knowing the risks and now explaining them to me?”

You didn’t understand that part at all. Vader was very adamant that you had to stay on Vjun with him, even fighting you and making an ultimatum if you beat him he’d let you leave. This did not add up to his earlier statement that he was willing to let you go, promising you he won’t stop you the next time you tried to leave. Knowing now the reasons behind his actions, about Palpatine knowing about you and potentially using you as a weakness against Vader, did not make any sense. 

Vader finally looked away, the muscles on his cheeks twitching as he tried to come up with an answer. “It’s my own fault for trying to push you away,” he finally answered, his gaze still turned away from you. “I had mistakenly thought that by doing that your feeling for me would recede and that you’d end up hating me. I didn’t account for it to actually sting when my own plan worked against me.”

“What are you talking about?” you were staring at Vader, even more confused at his words. Why was he not making much sense to you at all?

“For you to hate me,” he slowly said, pronouncing each syllable. “I didn’t know the root of your hate stemmed from your past, marred by my own hands before I even properly met you.”

You watched Vader’s face in silence, finally understanding that he was talking about your parents’ death, and him believing that you hated him for it. 

“I don’t hate you,” you slowly started, before you loosened your arms and reached for his gloved hand hanging limp by his side, wrapping your smaller hand around his. “I thought I did at first, at your misguided attempt to hide your feelings from me.”

You bit your lip, trying to regain some composure before continuing. “I - that hurt a lot, you know,” you nervously laughed, feeling apprehensive all over talking about your own feelings with Vader. “I didn’t think being rejected by you would hurt that much.”

Vader did not reply, his head still turned away from you, but he lightly squeezed your hand that was covering his own, prompting you to continue. 

“But I don’t hate you,” you finished, inching yourself closer to him. “My parents’ death was caused by a Jedi. I was just...angry at you for bringing up my personal life and talking about their deaths so nonchalantly…” you trailed off, waiting for Vader to say something.

“Regardless of what you think,” he finally replied after the silence stretched for many minutes, you almost losing hope that he’d answer you at all. “My actions still inadvertently caused their deaths. You made it clear that if it wasn’t for me hunting down the Jedi, your parents would still be alive.”

“That is true,” you started but then shook your head. “I thought I hated the Jedi more, that was until the order given by Palpatine and then later meeting your son, although I never managed to build up the courage to talk to him. I wished I did.”

Vader finally turned his head your way. “The Jedi had their own faults, and they paid for them with their deaths.”

“By your own hand,” you didn’t mean to say these words out loud, your eyes widening, expecting Vader to snap at you and break whatever semblance of peace and calm you had finally managed to create between you and him. Instead, Vader sighed, his hand still entwined with yours as he gripped it almost painfully. 

“I was a Sith for a much longer span of my life than when I was a Jedi,” he started. “And I’ve witnessed both faults of the two sides of the Force. I do not regret destroying the Jedi Order, but I do wish I had spared some of them, some of the good ones that had the potential to change the inner system of the Order and the impractical ways the Jedi Council ordered to lead the lives of the Jedi. It would have never been achieved had the Jedi Order still stood and operated. It had to be destroyed.”

You listened to his words carefully, trying to understand  _ why _ Vader destroyed the Jedi Order. You watched the clip with the rest of Rebel’s High Command of young Anakin Skywalker pledging his allegiance to the Sith and sealing his fate by becoming Darth Vader. But you still did not know the reasons why. 

“You know why,” he answered your unspoken question, you didn’t realize you were projecting your thoughts out loud again. “You saw it with your own eyes.”

You frowned, trying to recall what it was Vader was hinting at until you remembered seeing the memory of him on Mustafar, his heated conversation with his wife and everything clicked in place. He did it out of  _ love _ . Oh, how cruel and tragic the Force had been with Vader by forcing him to commit an act against his own people out of desperate hope to save his wife, in turn twisting his desires into something dark and sinister and inadvertently causing him to turn against her in his blind rage of hate and anger. 

“I can’t afford to lose you too,” Vader quietly whispered, agony distinct in his voice as he gripped your other hand in his own, forcing you to look at him. “Palpatine will make sure to torment me for trying to kill him, for turning myself against him. He will try and kill you, or worse, make  _ me _ kill you.”

“Vader, that’s -”

“ _ No _ ,” he hastily interrupted you. “I was a fool for believing that everything would be fine if only I’d kept you a distance away from me, our feelings for each other dissipating on their own. That’s obviously no longer the case if even our dreams are forcing us to bring closer together. I can’t stop  _ thinking _ about you, it’s driving me insane and clouding my judgment like the last time. I can’t risk repeating the same mistakes… it will  _ destroy _ us.”

“I’m willing to take the risk,” you replied, and Vader growled, his eyes flashing with anger.

“Don’t you see - “

You didn’t let him finish whatever he wanted to say, your lips crushing into his, muffling his words as you brought your hands to his neck and pulled him closer to you, your body pressing against his as you attempted to find balance standing on your tiptoes. Vader was unresponsive at first, shock radiating off of him, until he finally snapped from his stupor and growled under breath, his lips answering your demands as he hungrily devoured you. 

The kiss was much different than the one you shared on base, being the fact that this was the first time you’ve kissed each other in real life and not through the Force encounter, his lips feeling warm and soft against your own. His hands enveloped your back, pushing you closer to his body and you whimpered in satisfaction at feeling his hard and sculpted body underneath the clothing. Vader groaned in return to your quiet whimpers, soon turning into moans as you slowly started to rub your body against his, your core finding the spot on his thigh to try and create some friction. Vader hissed, his own arousal palpable through the Force and fabric of his pants, pressing his hard length against you, eliciting another moan which he hungrily devoured. 

You freed your hand from his neck, moving it down along his body, until you reached his lower abdomen, intending to grasp his hardness in your hand when suddenly Vader stopped your advances with his own hand, interrupting the kiss when he finally withdrew from you, a low whine escaping your throat from loss of contact with him, your head spinning and dizzy from lack of oxygen.

“Wait,” he growled, his voice low and laced with his own need. “This is exactly what I was talking about. This…  _ attraction _ to each other is clouding our judgments.”

“I don’t care,” you hissed, trying and failing to get him to continue the kiss. 

“You  _ should _ ,” he spat, none-too-gently pushing you away from him, making you stumble. “Be reasonable.” 

The loss of heat from Vader’s body and the extra air in your lungs finally snapped you from your own crazed attempt to almost beg Vader to take you right there and then and your cheeks colored from the heat at your boldness to be the one to initiate the kiss with him this time. 

“I’m sorry,” you whispered, feeling appalled at yourself and your body’s reaction every time you neared Vader. It was getting much harder to control yourself in his presence, not to mention that your mind simply shut down with each kiss. You almost tried to sneak your hand inside his pants and you blushed even harder, feeling completely mortified standing in front of Vader.

“Don’t be,” he finally answered, his voice back to normal. “It’s not the normal response you’d get from kissing someone. I’m having a hard time controlling myself as well,” he admitted and you looked up at him. 

“I believe this has everything to do with the Force connecting us in such a manner,” he continued, his face turned away from you and you could have sworn you saw slight blush coloring his cheeks but it was hard to tell in the dim light. “We must first find more information about this Force-bond.”

You nodded your head, biting your lip in nervousness. “I can still stay here with you, right?”

You did not want to leave Vjun, you had decided it the moment you both admitted your feelings to each other. Force be damned, but you would risk everything Vader was so afraid to lose, just to be by his side. You knew it was a selfish desire, clouded by your growing feeling towards him. You only wished Vader would let you stay. You waited in silence, holding your breath. 

Vader turned to look at you, his gaze now much softer, his eyes the color of blue. “For right now,” he finally answered and you sighed in relief. “Until we learn more of the Force-bond and figure out our plan against Palpatine.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm in La La Land ~~  
> I don't have much to say about this chapter except that it was a long time coming and that it's finally here and they finally admitted their feelings for each other so hallelujah!  
> Although there's still plenty of sexual tension between the two...oh well, one step at a time.  
> I hope you enjoyed the chapter! I appreciate all the comments and kudos, so thank you <3


	34. Visions.*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ‼️ **WARNING** ‼️
> 
> I wanted to forewarn you all of the fact that this chapter contains an explicit scene halfway through the chapter. I decided to keep the rating of the story as mature and just warn you of the chapters that will have explicit scenes, which will be denoted by * at the end of the chapter's title, like this one.
> 
> Furthermore, I wanted to apologize in advance... this chapter may also be tagged as _implied_ rape, emotional disturbance, mental breakdown, manipulation and much of angst. 
> 
> I will see you all at the end of the chapter. Enjoy.

You were inside Vader’s office, going through some datapads and playing with various holocrons scattered across the floor, trying to look for any hints of information about yours and Vader’s strange Force bond. Vader was sitting beside you, flipping through his own collections of archives that had been stored in this fortress for generations. So far, neither of you had any luck at finding anything close to resembling anything that you’ve experienced being bonded to one another. 

You reached towards another holocron, amidst the scattered archives next to Vader until he unexpectedly stopped you with the Force. 

“Don’t touch any of the ones marked with this symbol,” he warned, showing you a weirdly marked symbol, fainted on the side of some of the old holocrons. “Unless you want to be cursed by the Dark Side.”

“Is that even a thing?” you asked, raising your eyebrow to look at Vader. 

“Just like the presence of the Dark Side can corrupt you if you stayed for too long in a place such as this,” Vader started, his voice measured as he flipped through the datapad. “The objects possessed by the Sith and consumed by the Dark Side can do so as well to those untrained in the Dark Side of the Force.”

You frowned, watching Vader through your eyelashes. “I thought I was trained in the Dark Side?”

Vader scoffed, finally raising his gaze to look at you. “If you mean the feeble training the Inquisitors received to serve as Dark Side adepts, then you are mistaken. It takes years to master the Dark Side, you have only been shown a glimpse of such power.”

You pondered that, your wonder at the aspect of the Force growing. No one had taught you simple things such as explaining the difference between the Jedi and the Sith, only brainwashing you into believing that all the Jedi were evil and needed to be exterminated. 

“I thought the Dark Side users were always consumed by hate and anger, their personalities completely washed out and replaced as mere vessels for the Dark Side to control?” you asked, frowning. “Yet, you seem to be…” you trailed off, unsure how to phrase your statement.

“Unbalanced?” Vader supplied. “Or perhaps you wanted to tell me how I feel on the tether between Light and Dark?”

You slowly nodded your head, not wanting to anger Vader. 

“I am not always consumed in the Dark Side,” he continued after a while. “You can tell the changes in me based on my emotions and my eyes. The more I’m immersed in the Dark Side, the thicker is my Force presence, consumed by all the negative emotions dark users experience. My eyes are a straight giveaway to that.”

You watched his face, nodding your head once more. You had already figured out the part about his eyes. Right now they were clear blue, slight presence of gold specks littering them. Vader felt calm in the Force, almost gray in the sense than being completely dark. You found you preferred that side of him better than the one where he’s completely immersed in the Dark Side. 

“Did you find anything?” you asked him after a while of sitting in total silence, both of you immersed in your readings. 

“No,” Vader sighed, pushing the archive away from him. He sounded agitated and tired. 

“And Palpatine had never mentioned this to you?” you carefully asked, watching Vader from your spot. 

“No,” Vader growled. “Although he failed to mention a lot of things to me.”

“Maybe meditation can help?” you supplied and Vader quickly glanced your way. 

“Perhaps,” he drawled and then shifted his position to face your way. “Meditate with me.”

You gave Vader a curious look but complied with his request, shifting your body closer. 

“You can follow me,” he started before quickly adding. “Only if you want to.”

“I suppose,” you shrugged. “You’re probably better at it than me.”

Vader almost laughed, the corners of his mouth lifting as he reached for your hands across the lap. “Meditation wasn’t my strongest suit when I was a Jedi, I despised sitting around for hours doing absolutely nothing.”

“And is it now?” you quirked your eyebrow, letting Vader hold your hands in his, his grip gentle and almost comforting.

“It’s gotten much easier over the years,” he answered. “I spent the majority of my free time meditating in my hyperbaric chambers, trying to heal my damaged body.”

You gave Vader a sympathetic look before he had the chance to catch it but your feelings through the Force betrayed you when he squeezed your hands. 

“Do not pity me,” he said, almost with disdain. “I had brought my injuries upon myself.” 

“I’m sor - “

“Close your eyes,” he instructed, interrupting your apology. “And let the Force guide you.”

You followed his instructions, closing your eyes and trying to clear your mind from your swirling thoughts. You let your body relax, falling into a trance some moments later, letting your shields drop and open yourself fully to the Force. The presence of the Dark Side swirled around you, gauging you and checking your shields and you almost pulled away until you felt Vader’s presence envelop you, creating a safe barrier to keep the Dark Side away. 

You sighed in relief, sending your appreciation towards Vader through your link. You felt your surroundings mute, your mind wandering through the endless colors until everything stilled and you entered the meditation stage. Here, inside your mind, everything was quiet and calm, the Force feeling balanced. You probed around your senses until you felt Vader’s signature nearby, his shields still up and you lightly knocked on them to let you in.

You shuddered from the unexpected flood of emotions coming off Vader when he finally dropped his shields, the barrage of his emotions almost hitting you like a ton of bricks until it swiftly passed and you felt him all around you, your senses almost drowned around his. Vader slightly pulled back, letting you breathe a sigh of relief when you felt somewhat stable enough to explore his presence, now so close to yours. You never had the chance to fully explore him this way. 

_You can open your eyes,_ you heard him say and you slowly complied, taking in your surroundings. Usually it was just a blank canvas but with him you saw disarray of images flying past you, making you almost dizzy.

_Is it always like this when you meditate?_ you asked, frowning but trying to keep your expression neutral. 

_No_ , he responded and you realized only then that the person sitting in front of you was a younger version of Vader, his features youthful and unscarred, his hair long and wavy, slightly matted from being unbrushed, his eyes clear blue, unlike the ones he had as a Sith. 

_Pick any location you want_ , he said and you chose the first one that flew by without giving it proper look and the next thing you knew you were surrounded by a field of flowers, birds chirping in the distance and the sound of waterfalls gushing water somewhere nearby, reverberating the sounds all around you. You frowned, the location seeming familiar to you somehow yet you’ve never seen such a beautiful place before in your lifetime. 

Vader made a noise and you looked at him to see him scowling, his eyes taking in the surroundings as he gripped your hands. Your eyes widened when you saw one of his hands still flesh, its warmth enveloping you, calluses on the inside of it rubbing against your knuckles from years of vigorous work wielding his lightsaber. It only then dawned on you that the outfit he was wearing was the one you saw in your memory of him on Mustafar, his dark Jedi robes hugging his body, his lightsaber clipped to his belt.

_Is this normal?_ you asked him, finally catching his gaze, your stomach doing somersaults at watching his gorgeous face staring back at you. 

_Which part?_ he asked, unamused. _The part where we are now in my own memory of Naboo, or the fact that I look like I am still in my twenties?_

_Uh, both?_ you asked, feeling confused. 

_No, it’s not normal_ , he sighed before snatching his hands away from yours and pinching the bridge of his nose with his bionic hand. _None of this makes any sense._

_This location,_ you started, looking around yourself. _I’ve seen it before, I can’t quite place where…_

Vader’s muscles twitched, his gaze averted from yours as he groaned. _Take a guess. You’ve seen it from my own memory before._

You frowned, trying to recollect such memory, confused by what he meant until your eyes widened and you blushed, remembering the explicit dream you shared with him back on Polis Massa. Although part of the dream was you just watching the scene with him and his wife, sharing a passionate lovemaking in the center of the flowery field, much like the one you were on with Vader. 

_Oh_ , you gasped, biting your lip, looking anywhere but him. _We can try and change the scene if you’d prefer…_

_I would rather not risk it,_ Vader replied, his voice tight with emotion. _Right now it seems the Force is having its last laugh at me and I don’t want to find out what else it has in store for us while we are meditating._

_I thought the whole point of meditating was to find out answers,_ you raised your eyebrow, shifting your gaze back at him and he returned the look with his own quizzical expression on his face. 

_Yes_ , he ground out. _But I would prefer for us to actually manage to find these answers instead of replaying the events that happened in our dreams._

You softly gasped, Vader's directness and lack of bashfulness astonishing you as you bit your lip, averting your gaze from him. You would prefer to find the answers without resorting to such activities but part of you, the one you tried to suppress, had been greatly disappointed at hearing Vader’s words. You needed to get a grip at yourself. 

_Let’s try to focus,_ Vader interrupted your inside turmoil with yourself as he closed his eyes, falling into a meditative state. 

You followed right in, closing your eyes and feeling Vader through the Force. You concentrated on your link with him, feeling for the threads that connected your mind to his and trying to place their existence and your unusual bond with him. Nothing seemed out of normal and you frowned. You felt his emotions running through you, tightly packed and condensed as to not overwhelm you, as well as his fleeting thoughts, too fast for you to decipher. But most of all you felt the pull towards him, like the one you felt on the Rebel base and you followed it in until the scenery changed and you heard angry voices shouting in the distance and the blur of colors. 

Another vision emerged from the blankness, the one you’ve already seen twice, two figures dancing with deadly precisions, both wielding lightsabers. Two yellow and one blue. You’ve already distinguished the face of the smaller figure to be yours but you hadn’t had the chance to find out who the taller figure was, until the shadows lifted completely and you were startled to find Vader next to you, wielding a blue blade. You should have guessed it was him, after all the Force had connected you two together. 

_You must decide_ , an unknown voice whispered, beckoning for you to look and see something in the distance.

You saw Vader clad in his armor, his suit covering his features and you frowned, unsure as to why the Force was showing you him in the past until you realized that it was the future when you saw yourself next to him, wearing an Imperial uniform of an officer, standing side by side and talking to someone who was not in the view. 

The scenery changed and you were once again next to Vader, shouting something at him when he parried an attack with a lightsaber. Your own attention was snapped to someone in the distance and you parried their swings with your own set of lightsabers, the attack vicious enough to push you back. You felt Vader’s hopelessness and fear enveloping you as he shouted something back but the whispers of the Force were too loud to decipher his words. 

Everything stilled and changed and then you found yourself at the Imperial Center on Coruscant, its scenery familiar to you as you’ve been to Coruscant and this particular place many times before, learning the ways of being an Inquisitor in your early years. You were wearing an unusual choice of clothing, a dark dress, its design and shape screaming its expensiveness, the jewelry complementing your features, your hair done in a perfect yet simple hairdo. You’ve never worn dresses such as these, simply opting for more practical choice of clothing such as pants and jackets that made it easier to move. Yet you found yourself admiring yourself as you stood on the balcony, overlooking some procession below you until you saw Vader behind you, still clad in his armor. You turned around to face him and were surprised to see a slight swell of your stomach, hidden from your view in your earlier observation of looking at yourself until your other self turned to face Vader. You frowned at the implication of finding yourself in such a state, watching with wide eyes at the tender scene before you as you neared Vader and enveloped him in a hug, burying your face in his chest as he reciprocated the gesture and placed his own large arms around you. 

And then everything spun and disappeared, your body feeling as though you’ve just gone through some turmoil as you fell into darkness, silently screaming as it swallowed you in its depths. 

“[Y/N]”, you heard someone call out to you, their voice urgent and loud as someone continued to shake your shoulders until you snapped your eyes open and found yourself laying on the floor with Vader kneeling over you, his expression concerned as his eyes scanned your body until they landed on your face. 

“What happened?” you asked, sounding very confused.

“You lost consciousness,” Vader answered, still watching you with a concerned look in his eyes. 

“I did?” you asked, raising yourself up from the floor, your head slightly spinning. You waited a moment to make sure you were stable enough to stand on your own feet, Vader hovering over you as he continued to watch you. 

“What happened?” now it was Vader’s turn to ask you the same question and you turned your head to look at him. 

“I - I don’t know,” you stumbled with your words, unsure of yourself at what you saw in your visions. Your expression betrayed you as your cheeks colored at realizing what the last vision showed you, despite your efforts at containing your emotions. You didn’t fool Vader.

“You saw something,” Vader said, his gaze boring into yours as his eyes narrowed. “A vision.”

You didn’t deny that but you also didn’t give him an answer, still reeling from the images the Force showed you, until another thought struck your head. 

“And you didn’t?” you asked, looking up at Vader, your face frowned. 

“No,” Vader did not sound pleased, his eyes still boring into yours. “What did you see?”

“I - um,” you averted your gaze. “I saw you. _Us_ ,” you quickly corrected, clearing your throat. 

“ _And_?” Vader was starting to lose patience, his voice barely a growl as he waited for your explanation. 

“I saw you in your suit,” you started with the safest option, recalling the vision in your head. “I thought it was of the past but I was there as well, wearing an Imperial officer’s uniform, standing next to you.”

You frowned again. “And then we were both fighting someone,” you trailed off, recalling Vader’s blue blade and you tilted your head to look at him. “What color blade did you use to wield? Was it blue by any chance?”

Vader gave you a look, his stance shifting as he narrowed his eyes. “ _Yes_. What does it have to do with anything?”

“I keep seeing the same vision of you wielding it,” you answered absentmindedly until you felt a streak of anger coming off Vader.

“You _what_ ?” he growled, drawing your attention back to his angry expression. “And you failed to mention this to me? Didn’t you think this was _important_ enough?”

You bristled at that, your own anger flaring. “I didn’t know it was _you_ until just now. The Force would not show me your face. I’m not obligated to tell you _anything_.”

Vader’s eyes slowly turned into yellow, his own anger barely contained. “When the fact that we are both connected in the Force with a bond that is nowhere mentioned in any of my Sith holocrons I would argue that you would be _obligated_ to tell me _everything_ that has anything to do with me or you.”

“Not a chance,” you scoffed, earning another glare from Vader.

“I was under the impression you wanted this solved just as badly as leaving this place,” Vader stated and you mentally rolled your eyes at that.

“You know, I am now considering doing just that, ” you snapped back, glaring back at him. 

Vader scowled his features, hissing under his breath. “Stubborn woman,” he growled. 

“ _Me_?” you incredulously asked, rounding up on him. “I’m the one that’s stubborn? You must not have observed yourself for quite some time. A self-check is much needed to get you off from high-horse.”

Vader’s eyes flashed, his face turning dark from pent up anger, ready to explode. “You don’t realize the situation’s dire consequences if we don’t figure out what this all means.”

You scoffed at that, hissing back at Vader’s condescending tone. “Stop talking to me like I’m a child, incapable of understanding as-you-put-it our _dire_ situation.”

“Then stop acting like one,” Vader snapped back and you almost, _almost_ slapped him again for his insult. 

“Kriff off,” you growled under your breath, swiftly approaching the exit of the room.

“Oh, very _mature_ ,” you heard Vader’s sarcastic tone behind you. “Storming off and leaving your problems behind. This just proves my point.”

You wanted to scream at Vader and curse him out but that would surely only make matters worse, not to mention that fact that he would most likely snidely remark that such behavior was not characteristic of an adult but a child throwing a tantrum. You did not answer him as you flung the doors with a Force and hastily left the room and Vader behind, fuming in your own anger. 

___

Hours later you found yourself in a fresher under a stream of hot water, after one of the droids brought you your dinner after you refused to have one with Vader. You knew you were being childish in your attempts to avoid Vader, only confirming his earlier words, but you didn’t care. You needed to cool your head and get your own emotions under control before you chanced to meet with Vader again. You hadn’t had a chance to fully process what happened back in his own quarters after he begrudgingly admitted his feelings to you, albeit to your own uncharacterized foolishness of feeling elated at the prospect that Vader felt something for you. 

You groaned, closing your eyes and letting the water steam up your skin, the heavy stream cascading down your body. You let yourself be immersed in your own memory of seeing his body after he got out of shower, droplets of water running down his sculpted chest and abs and you felt yourself throb in between your thighs as you recalled the dreams the Force subjected you to, like the one where Vader’s cock was fully sheathed inside of you and you moaned, letting the memory play out in your head. You fortified your mental walls lest Vader heard you before subjecting your body to your own whims. 

Your own hands acted out without you truly paying attention as you squeezed your breasts with one of them, pinching your hardened nipples and drawing another low moan as your other hand went past your abdomen and sneaked between your legs, your fingers eagerly finding your folds, already soaking wet from your arousal. You expertly played with your hardened nub, stroking your clit and eliciting small gasps and moans as you finally placed a few of your fingers inside your heat, stroking and moving your long fingers in and out, trying to create some friction as your hips started to buck against your own hand. 

You imagined Vader’s hand playing with your body, his metal appendages pinching your nipples and stroking your folds, as his hardened length pressed against you and you let out a long moan, finally letting your body be washed over with a painful orgasm, as you came hard against your own hand, having to need to support yourself with your freed hand as you grasped the shower wall, your shaky legs barely supporting you. You were gasping for breath, your body still shaking from a post-orgasm bliss as you closed your eyes, savoring the way your body felt so much lighter, the tension all but gone. 

A noise behind you caught your attention and you snapped your eyes open, letting your senses scan the area for any threats. You turned around and screamed when you saw Vader standing within the shower, mere inches from you, as the water streamed down his naked body, his hardened length jutting out and bobbing as he closed the distance between the two of you, pressing you hard against the wall with his body. You sputtered some nonsense, your voice meek and your cheeks heated as embarrassment and shock washed over you. How did he get in? Did he just witness you pleasuring yourself while thinking about him? How did you not _sense_ him?

“Such a naughty girl,” Vader purred and you stared dumbfounded at him, his face right next to you as he ground his hips against you, his length pressed against your abdomen. 

“To think such explicit things about me,” he continued and you stood speechless as one of his hands reached for your breast, still sensitive from your orgasm as he pinched your nipple with his metal fingers, eliciting a moan from your lips that you couldn’t contain even if you wanted to. 

“You wanted me to do this, didn’t you?” he huskily asked as he continued to play with your breasts, you only answer to him was another moan as you felt more heat pooling in between your legs. 

“And this?” he continued as his other hand reached lower, his movements slow and teasing as he ghostly touched your hips, drawing circles around your thighs and moving closer to the area between your legs, soaked in anticipation and need. 

“Say it,” he groaned, his eyes on you as he continued to torture you with his movements, his fingers practically touching your folds, still teasing you. 

“Yes,” you whispered, your voice hoarse as you took shaky breaths. “I want you to touch me. _Please_.”

You’ve never begged in your life, not like this but you didn’t care. You wanted Vader to ravage you, to do whatever he pleased with your body as he mercilessly took you. Your own need overtook you as you wrapped your arms around his neck, bringing his face closer and finally kissing him, your want and desire slamming against his shields. You shamelessly moaned when his fingers finally stroked your folds and you instantly clenched your thighs against his hand. 

You continued to sloppily kiss him as his fingers expertly rubbed circles around your clit, his thicker fingers exploring your entrance, still teasing you in a manner that was driving you insane. You wanted more, you wanted him _inside_ of you. You rubbed yourself against him, your breasts pressed against his chest, your thighs looking for friction with his hardened length that was still pressing against you. 

_Please_ , you silently begged, unable to utter words from your own mouth as you continued to kiss him, begging him to take you. 

He immediately compiled, lifting you above the ground as you wrapped your legs around the small of his back when he lined up the head of his cock against your folds and then slammed his hips inside of you with a force that took your breath away, your toes curling from the instant pleasure that wrecked your body. His thickness stretched you beyond what you were used to, your own core throbbing at being filled so suddenly and harsh, but you were back to being needy and moaning as you tried to shift your hips to let him know that you were ready for him to move. 

Vader smirked against your lips, adjusted his grip on you and then started ramming you in with his hard thrusts, your core clenching with each movement as pain turned into pleasure, your moans and sound of skin on skin drowning the cascade of water as Vader continued his harsh assaults on your body. Your eyes rolled in the back of your head, your body overridden with sensations you’ve never experienced before as you shamelessly moaned, encouraging Vader to continue with his hard thrusts. You felt yourself nearing another orgasm, the tightness in your core pooling up, ready to explode. 

“So _easy_ ,” Vader hissed, interrupting your blissful unawareness. 

You opened your eyes and looked at Vader to see him grinning as he continued to ram inside of you. 

“Such an easy prey,” he continued, almost cackling as your confused mind tried to take in his words. “To think he’d fall for someone like you who can’t even tell the difference between me and real him.”

You frowned, your confusion overridden by another moan as your core clenched around his cock. 

“Stupid, foolish girl,” he sneered and your body tensed from a cold dread pooling at the depths of your stomach, finally registering that something was very _wrong_. 

“This will teach him a lesson,” he continued, hilting his hips all the way in and your world exploded as you yelled from a forceful orgasm washing over your body, your muscles clenching around the cock still deeply embedded inside of you. 

“Wh-what?” you asked, your mind hazy from the mind-blowing orgasm, unable to discern the words and their meaning. 

“Beg for me, like you would beg for his cock rutting your insides,” the voice sneered and then you felt him pulse inside of you as his seed spilled in your womb, coating the insides and you screamed as pain erupted all around you.

You were mildly aware that you were somehow subjected to a case of excruciating Force-lightning, your body on fire as you tried and failed to separate your body from his. He was still hilted inside of you as you clawed at his face and chest, trying to get away. You continued to scream, pain overriding every other emotion, your body prickling with nerves and unbearable agony. You heard a maniac laughter and through your haze you turned your head to see Palpatine standing where just moment ago Vader stood and you screamed even harder, not from pain but from utter desolation and hopelessness at realizing just _who_ was fucking you moments ago. 

It was suddenly all over, just as quickly as it started it finished, pain all but a memory as your knees buckled under you and you slid down the wall, your insides still feeling the aftermath of an orgasm your body was subjected to, as well as ghost of a touch around your body and inside of you. You started crying, sobbing gut-wretched cries as your body convulsed from shock and devastation as your mind shattered and your walls crumbled around you. You felt dirty, used, but most of all _broken_. 

You weren’t even aware that the door to the fresher opened and Vader hastily barged in, his expression wild and distressed until he was in front of you, kneeling and trying to get you to look at him. You didn’t hear him, continuing to sob, choking on your own tears as you gasped for breaths until you felt like vomiting so you did just that. Only after someone draped something across your back and lifted your wet hair out of your face while you continued to retch and sob, you had realized that you were not alone until you lifted your face to find Vader watching you with a troubled expression on his face. 

You screamed again, this time clawing at him and grazing him with your nails across his face until he grabbed both of your hands in his grip, only making you panic even more as you screamed to the point of losing your voice, heaving and crying as Vader held you in his arms.

“Hey, _hey_ ,” you finally heard his voice trying to get through your mental breakdown. “Calm down, it’s just me.”

Your mind was confused and you continued to cry until Vader wrapped his arms around you, pushing your body against his as he carefully moved his hands around your back, rubbing small circles and sending comforting waves in the Force towards you. It took you awhile to finally calm down, still softly crying and heaving as you nuzzled your head against Vader’s chest, thoroughly soaking his shirt with your tears. 

“What happened?” he finally asked and you tensed, a fresh wave of tears threatening to overtake you. 

“Hey,” he tightened his hold on you. “It’s alright. You’re alright.”

You started shaking, tears involuntarily escaping you again as you croaked. “N-No.”

Vader was silent, waiting for you to calm down again until you started hiccuping and shaking.

“How about I take you to your bed?” he finally asked and you barely nodded. “Hold on tight,” he instructed and you gripped his shirt with a deathly grip as he picked you up from the floor, carrying you across the fresher and into your room. 

He carefully laid you down on top of the mattress before unwrapping the towel that was draped across your naked body and covering you with the sheets, all the while slowly stroking your face and wiping away more tears that somehow wouldn’t stop from coming down. 

“Mind if I take a look?” he asked and you opened your eyes to see him sitting on the edge of the bed, his fingers inches away from your head as he watched you. He was asking you if he could enter your mind and see the memories for himself. 

Panic set in the pit of your stomach and you tried to raise yourself from bed, only to be pushed back down by Vader.

“No, _please_ . Please don’t look,” you begged him, your hands still gripping his shirt. “ _Please_.”

Vader frowned, his eyes roaming over your face. “I need to know what happened to warrant such... _reaction_ from you.”

You shook your head, dread settling over your body, your eyes wide and your breath shaky. 

“ _Please_ ,” you continued to beg, your expression pleading as you tried to suppress more tears from escaping you.

Vader was quiet, his expression carefully controlled as he sighed and withdrew his hand.

“I am going to Force suggest you to sleep,” he said and you looked at him with fear in your eyes, to which he frowned. “I won’t go anywhere. I’ll be right by your side.”

You bit your lip, your body still shaking as you searched his gaze for comfort. “You promise?” you quietly asked, twisting his shirt in your grip.

“I promise,” he answered and then you fell into the blackness of a much needed sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *hides behind the screen*
> 
> Well, I hope you survived this awful chapter and I would imagine you would be _very_ angry with me for letting our precious reader go through this hell of a vision with Palpatine.
> 
> Let me explain. This was just a Force vision, created by a Force-bond between Palpatine/Vader link and the Dyad Bond that Vader and Reader share. Because Palpatine had such a strong bond with Vader he was able to manufacture a Force vision when he performed an old Sith ritual by using the power of dark illusion that Palpatine once used against Yoda in the animated series of the Clone Wars. So by using that bond with Vader he managed to enter Reader's mind while she was at her weakened state (I guess orgasm can do that to you) and play with her mind, constructing her most wanted desires and fulfilling them. He did it for two reasons: 1) because he's a sadistic bastard and wanted to torment her and Vader and 2) to potentially tempt her to the Dark Side. I won't say anything else to spoil anything. 
> 
> This chapter was filled with visions, thus the name of it. I sprinkled some hints here and there throughout the story and now we are seeing more visions evolved around Vader and Reader. 
> 
> I hope you somewhat liked this chapter. Once again, I'm sorry for so much angst. I'll make it up to you in the next chapter.


	35. Vader.*

Vader’s POV

He growled, barely containing his emotions, most of which were anger and pure hate at his former master, once he accessed the woman’s mind, fragile and broken, and a pure mess until he found the needed information. He was expecting anything  _ but _ that, his own desperation and uselessness echoing the woman’s feelings as he replayed the scene Palpatine subjected her to and Vader almost destroyed everything that was within his vicinity as he clenched his hands and gritted his teeth. The only thing that stopped him from unleashing his power was the face of a woman, sleeping below him, the lines of worry and streaks of tears still evident on her face as she slept. Even after putting her to sleep with his Force suggestion, he could still feel her inner turmoil and creep of nightmares on the edge of her consciousness so he kept his control and willed himself to calm until after she woke up. 

He had never thought he’d see her in such a state, broken and completely destroyed until he stumbled on her in the fresher, seeing her crumpled form, sobbing and hysterical as he tried to calm her down. He felt her pain and fear slamming against his shields when he tried to meditate in his own quarters, and then her desperate cry for help, unconsciously calling out to him as he practically ran across the fortress to get to her. His confusion at seeing her unharmed was replaced by worry and panic when he couldn’t get her to focus on him until she lifted her face and nearly clawed his eyes out when she fell into another hysteria at seeing his face. 

He felt disgusted, on the brink of destruction, his mind hazed with the Dark Side as he wrestled with himself by trying to control his power. It wouldn’t do her good if he lost his control and she woke up to see him crazed with his own power. She was already terrified of him, her mind confused and unable to distinguish between him and Palpatine. He looked at her sleeping form, his hand playing with her hair as he watched her sleeping face, his mind and heart set at doing anything to protect her. He would kill Palpatine for trying to hurt what was  _ his _ . 

But he knew the damage was already done, her mind frazzled and broken and he hissed. He did not want her to be afraid of him, for her to be reminded of what happened everytime she looked at him. He wanted her to be back to her normal self, for her spirit to challenge him, her quirky attitude and her snippy remarks riling him up. So he decided to erase that memory from her mind and restore her shields, knowing full well that if she ever learned of it she would most likely hate him. He had no other choice, no ways to turn back the time and prevent Palpatine from hurting her. 

He spent the next few hours repairing the damages inside her mind, closing the cracks and restoring her shields, building up her walls with a stronger material to prevent Palpatine from breaking inside her mind again. His finishing touch was to put a barrier around her with a touch of his own power, the Dark Side swirling around him as he cast a dark spell on her, sealing her mind to his. She was now undoubtedly  _ his _ , as he performed a Sith ritual he learned from one of the holocrons which offered protection from outward forces of Dark Side users and Siths, as long as the caster of the spell stayed alive. A ritual that was mostly performed during a Sith wedding, long forgotten and unused until Vader uncovered it during one of his studies. 

When he finally finished it was early morning, the dawn of the day slowly creeping in through the covered window of the room. He felt tired and spent, the night catching up to him as he tried to keep his eyes open. He shifted on the bed, laying his head on the pillow next to her, briefly closing his eyes for rest. When he finally stirred awake it was due to someone softly mewling in their sleep, pressing their body against his, rubbing themselves against his thighs and he bit back a moan, feeling himself hardening. He opened his eyes to find the woman’s head on his chest, her naked breasts pressing against him as she sprawled on top of him and he realized with a start that the dream the Force showed him wasn’t in his own bedroom but hers, the dark and silky sheets draped around their bodies, barely covering her as she shifted her legs and inadvertently pressed the heat of her body against his crotch. 

He was kriffed and he knew it, the heat of her body doing nothing to quell his own desire. His body was betraying him, two decades spent in the suit, unable to perform and having no desire to engage in any sexual activities, finally catching up to him. It didn’t help that he recalled her memory of being savagely taken by Palpatine, posing as Vader and her responses to such animalistic acts. He couldn’t risk staying in her bed for long, in fear he’d lose his control and damn them both. 

He started to detangle her body from his when she softly sighted and then stirred, and he tensed, holding his breath. She softly yawned, still rubbing herself against him, her thighs hitting his erection and he hissed, his own arousal making him overly sensitive to even inadvertent movements. She lifted her head in confusion and met his eyes and they stared at each other for a long moment until she frowned.

“Is this another dream?” she asked and he almost laughed if it wasn’t for the fact that such movement would make him twitch and reveal his obvious arousal.

“I wish it was,” he replied and then instantly regretted his choice of words, appalled at the fact that he would even say such a thing. 

Her expression was mimicking the same thing he felt on the inside, him battling with himself to control his expression and remain neutral even if he wanted to turn his gaze away, push her aside and run off from her and her scrutinizing gaze. 

She remained quiet, her expression turning thoughtful as she continued to watch him, for the first time making him feel very uncomfortable. Why wasn’t she saying anything?

“I see,” she finally replied, before shifting away from him and sitting herself up on the bed, her lack of bashfulness at being naked stumping him as he tried to look away from the sway of her breasts in the dim light. He had already seen her naked body before, albeit he had more pressing matters at the time when he tended to her wound and just last night worrying about her state than paying any attention to her nakedness. This time was different, as he had nothing else to do except lay on the bed and will his arousal to dissipate. It was proving to be almost impossible as she shifted on the bed and faced him with her breasts now fully in his view with her legs crossed in a manner that gave him a clear sight of her folds although he tried to look anywhere but her. 

“What are you doing?” he finally hissed when she hadn’t moved, failing to hide his arousal from his voice. 

“I don’t remember much after last night,” she quietly admitted and Vader almost groaned.

“What do you mean?” he asked, looking up at the ceiling. 

“Do you…” she hesitated before shrugging. “Do you  _ regret _ it?”

He was confused, drawing his eyebrows together before he shifted his eyes to look at her face. “Regret  _ what _ ?” he asked.

She pursed her lips, shifting on the bed, drawing his attention back to her swaying breasts and then silently groaning. 

“So now you’re going to pretend that nothing happened?” she asked with anger in her voice, confusing him even more. 

“What are you talking about?” he asked, trying to keep his focus on her face and not anywhere below her neck. 

She growled, becoming annoyed with him. “Really? Now you’re going to play a fool with me?”

He gritted his own teeth until he raised himself off the bed, staring at the woman with his own glare. 

“I really have no clue what you’re talking about,” he snapped, losing patience with her. 

“The shower,” she snapped back, her cheeks reddening from heat. “After you know…” she averted her gaze, chewing her lip. “Do you regret having sex with me?”

Wait,  _ what _ ?

He stared at her dumbfounded, his mouth opening and closing several times until he snapped it shut and simply stared at her flushed face, his own mind going blank. What the hell? Why would she think he had sex with her? He had erased that part of last night’s memory from her mind, she should not have remembered any of it. 

She turned her gaze back to him, searching his face for something. He was still speechless, unable to formulate an answer. 

“Is that a yes?” she quietly asked, her face falling as he felt something akin to pain traveling through their link. 

“Wait, no. I - “ he stumbled for words and her eyes lit up, completely misinterpreting his answer. 

“Neither do I,” she quietly admitted and he uttered every curse word he knew in Huttese in his head. 

“What’s wrong?” she asked him, inching herself closer to him with a concerned expression on her face. “You look pale.”

“Would you mind putting some clothes on?” he gritted through his clenched teeth, his member twitching every time her breasts swayed when she moved. 

“Why?” she asked, tilting her head. “You’ve seen me naked before, especially after last night…” she trailed off until she smirked, mischief glinting in her eyes. “Unless it’s making you  _ hard _ .”

He sputtered at her directness and boldness and then stilled when she reached for him with her hand, landing it right on top of his bulging crotch and squeezed his cock through his pants, eliciting a moan from his lips.

“So I was right,” she smirked, stroking his cock with her hand and he growled, before he swiftly grabbed her hand and flipped her on her back, his body pinning her below his and he held her hands above her head in his grip.

“What the kriffing hell do you think you’re doing?” he hissed, his breaths harsh as he glared down at her. 

Her only response was to rub her core against him in a position that allowed her slight movement being pinned underneath him as she moaned, her eyes rolling in the back of her head. He was completely frozen, not expecting such response from her, his own desire coursing through him, clouding his judgment. 

She finally focused her eyes on him, her expression foreign and her gaze dark, the look sending shots of arousal right down his crotch. He had only ever seen Padme give him  _ that _ look. 

“You’re not yourself,” he hissed, trying to wrestle with himself. “Snap out of this.”

“ _ Please _ ,” she begged him and the word sent another shot right down to the tip of his cock, making him impossibly hard. 

“[Y/N]”, he tried again, his voice low and unrecognizable even to his own ears. “I can’t take advantage of you like that when you’re not...you.”

She shook her head, rubbing herself against him, eliciting a small moan from his lips. “Please,” she repeated. “I want you.”

He faltered, his resolve crashing. “ _ Fuck _ ,” he hissed and then dipped his head low, catching her lips with his in a frenzied kiss. 

The floodgate of passion overwhelmed him as he continued his frantic assault of her lips, capturing her moans with his lips, dragging them out as he sucked on her tongue and nipped on her lip as his own hips started grinding against the heat of her core. Her mewling sounds only encouraged him as he finally let them both take a gasp of breath when he dipped his head low and trailed sloppy kisses along the side of her neck, sucking and nipping on her skin and leaving marks which only made him growl more from marking her as his.

He released her wrists as he moved lower until he stopped in front of her breasts, licking and sucking her erect nipples in his mouth, grazing them with his teeth and making her shudder and moan as he twirled his tongue around each of them, her body bucking under him and gasping for breath. He spent a minute or two giving her breasts his undivided attention until he continued lower, placing wet kisses on her flat stomach, trailing his tongue along her soft skin until he was in front of her core, her folds glistening from sleek of her own arousal leaking out into the sheets, leaving a small wet circle on the bed linens. 

“ _ Fuck _ ,” he moaned again, before he grabbed her legs and spread them apart, bending them at her knees as he dipped his head lower. He brought his hand under her back, arching her in a way that would be easier for him to access her core and then he plunged his tongue in her wet folds and his world exploded. 

The carnal feeling finally overtook him as he lapped at her, tasting her on his tongue as he sucked on her clit, thrusting his tongue in and out of her to the sound of her moans above him. He forgot the feeling of such pleasure coursing through his body, the way the woman’s arousal tasted like nothing he’d ever tasted, the way the smell made him want to ravage her right there and then. It was intoxicating. 

She was whimpering, her core tensing under him, trying to bring her legs closer and trap his head in between them, which told him she was close to her own release. He brought his other hand to her clit, working the hardened nub under his fingers and she shuddered, moaning his name as her insides clenched and he was rewarded with a taste of her sweet juices on his tongue as he licked her clean. Her breathing was heavy as she finally came down from her high and he finally lifted his head to look at her face. 

“V-Vader,” she moaned his name, her eyes still glazed with want and desire. “I n-need you in-inside of me.  _ Please _ .”

He hissed, his cock twitching and hurting from his own unmet release as he shifted above her form and in swift movement took off his shirt, followed by pants, letting his cock spring free from confines of his boxers as it bobbed from finally being released, its head already slicked from his precum. 

Her gaze immediately landed on his length, her eyes traveling up and down, taking in his size and he felt himself smirk. He used to pride himself for having a large size, and Padme had always loved telling him how much it pleased her. He watched her face, his cock twitching from her intense gaze on his most private part until he shifted his body and positioned him right next to her core, his head pressed against her. 

“Do you really want this?” he asked, his voice hoarse. He didn’t think he’d be able to stop himself even if she told him no, he was far too gone, consumed by his own need.

“Yes,” she whispered, her gaze finding his. 

He didn’t need to be told twice as he lifted her hips with his hands and roughly sheathed himself in, his crotch hitting against hers and stilled, savoring the feel of her warmth. He let out a low moan, shutting his eyes as her heat enveloped him, squeezing him all around and drawing a groan from his lips as he succumbed to the feel of him inside of her. This felt much better than he last remembered. 

He heard her own moan and then the insistent movement of her own hips as she tried to move to create a friction between their bodies, eliciting another moan from him. He finally opened his eyes and peered down at her to see her blissful expression written on her face, her own eyes closed and her breasts swaying with her quick breaths. Her wavy hair was frazzled and sprawled all over the sheets and he twitched at the sight of her. Force, she was  _ beautiful _ . 

He leaned in above her, shifting her hips at a different angle and placing his hands on each side of her head as he slowly started to move, trying to prolong his own release and watching her face, lips slightly opened, moaning and gasping with each of his thrusts. Her core continued to squeeze him with each of his thrusts, its wetness and heat enveloping his full length. 

“F-faster,” she whispered, opening her eyes to look at him. 

He groaned, answering her pleas with a dip of his head to capture her mouth with his as he increased the speed of his thrusts. She responded by catching his lower lip with her teeth and biting hard enough to draw blood, making him groan from pain which she quickly took away by sucking on the spot.

He lifted his head, shifting the angle of his hips once more until he started to deeply penetrate her with each of his thrusts, hilting himself all the way in with his rough movements, increasing his speed. He was surprised to find that she enjoyed it, that blissful expression still on her face as she continuously moaned, drawing out his own pleasure. He had never been that rough with Padme and she never enjoyed being taken that way either. He relished in his own carnal desires, enjoying the feel of letting loose and taking the woman in the way that he’d always wanted. Her walls squeezed around him and she shuddered, getting close to her own release.

“I-I’m so close,” she moaned, bringing her hands around his back and scratching him as his movements became more frenzied and hectic. 

“Wait for me,” he ordered, his voice rough as he rolled his hips and hit the spot that made the woman gasp for breath each time he did it. 

“I-I c-can’t,” she moaned, squeezing him tighter.

“ _ Fuck _ ,” he groaned, slapping his hips against her in his final move and stilled as she shuddered around his cock, squeezing her muscles around his member from her release as he pulsed inside of her, spilling his seed into her womb with several spurs of his own release. 

He moaned and collapsed on top of her, his breath mingling with hers, sweat coating his body as he kissed her neck, the marks already forming on her skin from his earlier attempts at marking her. She lazily wrapped her hands around his back, drawing small circles with her hands as she tried to catch her breath. 

He finally peeled himself away from her, raising his body to look at her as his head started to clear up from the desire that had overtaken him. He found her gaze already watching him and frowned. 

“Are you alright?” he asked, watching her face for any signs that she was angry. 

“Yes,” she sighed. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

He shifted above her, his cock getting limp as he slid out of her and then rolled on his knees to look at her. 

“How are you feeling?” he asked, feeling apprehensive for reasons he did not understand. 

“I’m  _ fine _ , Vader,” she rolled her eyes at that and raised herself to a sitting position, her curls falling around her shoulders.

He frowned, watching her, unable to discern that there was anything wrong with her. 

“What do you remember of last night?” he asked, his gaze hard.

She turned her head to look at him, her own gaze boring into his. “A shower, us having sex and then nothing until I woke up to find you in my bed.” She shrugged at the last part, her gaze turning curious as she looked at him. 

He frowned, confusion washing over him. He must not have removed the whole memory of her in the shower, somehow he imprinted on her that it was indeed him having sex with her and not a Force vision that Palpatine projected. 

“Did you use protection?” she asked and his eyes snapped to hers. 

“What?” he asked with a dumbfounded look on his face. 

“Protection?” she asked again, spelling each syllable with her mouth. 

“I -  _ no _ ?” he answered incredulously, the question completely catching him off guard. “You are not on birth control?” he asked, feeling foolish for thinking of such things now after the act had already been done. 

“No,” she answered before sighing. “I never thought I’d need it. It’s not like I was engaging in such activities any time in recent months.”

That caught his attention as he looked at her. “But you have been engaging in them  _ before _ ?”

She gave him a look, something unreadable crossing her features too fast for him to decipher. “ _ Yes _ , but it’s been awhile.” 

Somehow the thought of it did less than please him and he growled. “With whom?”

“ _ Really _ ?” she scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Aren’t you delving a little  _ too _ much into my personal life?”

He growled, his teeth clenching as he glared at her. She gave him a glare of her own until she scoffed and said with disdain in her voice. “Varlo.”

“ _ Him _ ?” he asked incredulously. “Out of all the people it  _ had _ to be him?”

She spun her body around to face him, her eyes blazed with anger as she hissed. “Do not judge me! It’s not like I had much of a  _ choice _ between which male to sleep with.  _ You _ were conveniently not present at the time.”

His growl rumbled in the back of his throat, his own eyes flashing with anger at the prospect of someone else sleeping with her. Until he snapped at himself and cursed under breath. What the hell was  _ wrong _ with him? His possessive nature had nothing to do with her previous choice of partners, why was he getting  _ jealous _ ?

“Vader, I had another vision,” she slowly started, looking away from him, drawing his attention back to her. 

“Just now?” he asked and she shook her head. 

“No, yesterday,” she slowly started, playing with the end of the bed sheet. “I didn’t get the chance to tell you because….”

She trailed off and he understood what she was trying to say. Because of the fact that they were once again angry at each other, calling each other names and practically being at each other’s throats. 

“What was it about?” he slowly asked, noticing the tension in her body but deciding not to comment. 

“I don’t know how you’re going to react,” she slowly answered him, her own apprehension palpable through the Force, which made him alert. It must be something big for her to react in such a way.

“I’ll try to be on my best behavior,” he said, hoping to sound reassuring and teasing but instead causing her shoulders to drop, her mood souring completely and he frowned. 

“Whatever it is, it can’t be  _ that _ bad,” he said, nearing her but she pushed away from him, wrapping her arms around her body. 

He waited for her to collect her thoughts, his own patience wearing thin but he gritted his teeth and willed himself to wait until she was ready to tell him. It took her a few minutes to finally shift and turn to look at him and her next words chilled him to the core.

“I think I’m going to get pregnant.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OMG, do you have any idea how long I've been waiting for this?? I've written this chapter over a week ago and could not contain myself and was re-reading it several times. This is exactly how I imagined for Vader to take her, breaking his own resolve and succumbing to his own desires. This was by far the most fun I've had writing a chapter.
> 
> Now, there are a few Easter eggs here and there that you might or might not get and I don't want to spoil anything by saying too much. If you thought the reader was acting OC and especially when she was the one initiating the contact then you are right but there's a reason for it. And if Vader was OC as well, well it is also for a reason I won't reveal for a while. 
> 
> I chuckled writing the part about them talking about protection and Vader's possessiveness when she mentioned Varlo. Once again, keep that part in mind for the next chapters coming up, as well as the Sith ritual Vader performed. 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed it!


	36. The ultimatum and proposition.

You held your breath, watching Vader across the bed, his expression concealed behind a false facade of detachment as you waited for him to say something. You frowned when the wait stretched into long minutes, him sitting still and not saying a word or even acknowledging you that he heard you. You started to feel self-conscious, your nakedness doing nothing to give you a boost of confidence as you shifted on the bed.

“Vader, did you hear what I said?” you finally asked, watching his face for any hints of what he might be thinking of. You could not even feel him through the Force, his bond closed off on his end as he shut himself away from you. 

You started to feel aggravated when he still did not respond, and before you could continue with this conversation or simply decide to leave, you snatched his shirt that was tangled in the sheets and hastily put it on, feeling somewhat better now that you were somewhat clothed. You glanced his way again, frowning when his gaze was glazed and then raised yourself from bed, planning on leaving him to his own thoughts. 

“Why did you wait to tell me this until now?” his voice finally cut through silence and you stopped at the other end of the bed, opposite from his sitting figure. 

“I already told you,” you started. “I didn’t have time to tell you.”

“Not even when we were having sex?” he snapped, irritation and anger in his voice and you frowned. 

“I wasn’t thinking about birth control at the time,” you slowly started, trying to keep your voice level. “I wasn’t thinking about anything except for _you_ . It was like I was… _drugged_.”

You couldn’t explain how you felt when you were begging Vader to take you, pleading with him to ravage you as you rubbed yourself against him. Your emotions were on overdrive, your arousal clouding your judgment, your feelings all over place and your only thoughts were of him.

“Kriff,” Vader muttered, as he brought one of his hands to his face and rubbed at his eyes. “E chu ta!” 

You watched Vader as he shifted on the bed, putting his discarded boxers and pants back on, all the while avoiding to look at you. You shifted your gaze, giving him some privacy as he dressed before your eyes landed back on him standing by the foot of the bed, his hands balled into fists. 

“What did you see?” he asked, his eyes on you and you shifted your stance, feeling small under his gaze. 

“A glimpse,” you started. “We were both on Coruscant, at the Imperial Center. I noticed a swell of my stomach under the dress and I put two and two together,” you shrugged.

“That doesn’t prove anything,” Vader scoffed. “It doesn’t necessarily indicate you’d be pregnant with my child to begin with.”

You rounded up on him, your anger flaring. “Then whose child would it be?” you hissed. “Are you saying I’d find a time to copulate with someone else?”

“That’s a possibility,” he shrugged and you felt like punching him. 

“Right,” you hissed. “Well, let me go ahead and get right down to business then.”

You rounded on your heels, ready to storm out until you were stopped by Vader’s hand grabbing your arm. 

“I’m sorry,” he said and you whirled around to stare at him with a shocked expression on your face. Did Vader just apologize to you? 

“I wasn’t myself either,” he started, his hold on you lessening. “I-I should have stopped myself.”

“So you _do_ regret it,” you hissed, snatching your arm from his hold. You were upset for unknown reason, your heart clenching at the prospect that Vader only slept with you because you begged him. 

“I - “ he shook his head, his lips twisted into scowl. “I don’t regret sleeping with you. I just wish it was under different circumstances.”

You narrowed your eyes at that. “What _circumstances_?”

“I took advantage of you,” he swallowed and then averted his gaze. “I knew you weren’t yourself to begin with.” 

You were surprised to hear pain laced behind his words, his expression almost regretful as he clenched and unclenched his fists. But most of all, you were confused by the meaning behind his words. Why did he think you were not yourself when you knew _exactly_ what you were doing? You woke up, feeling refreshed and happy, remembering your night with Vader in a shower until you found him in your bed and you took matters in your own hands, wanting him all over again. Your need pulsed around you as you begged him to take you and then a sheer bliss took over you as you succumbed to Vader’s expert touches. You _wanted_ it from him. 

“What are you talking about?” you asked, coming up to him and grabbing his hands. “If anything, it was me begging you to take me which prompted us to have sex, _again_.”

Vader shifted, the muscles on his face twitching as he stood still and you frowned when he did not respond. You lifted one of your hands and traced faint markings on his chest from his scars, rubbing small circles along his pecs, marveling at their hardness. For a middle aged man, Vader was surely taking great care of his body, despite all the scarring and uneven tone of his skin. You slowly traced your hand lower, feeling his hard abs, trailing your fingers along the prominent divit of his V-shape line, the point of which led to the part hidden by the draw-strings of his pants and you swallowed, becoming flustered and hot all over again. 

“You’re doing it again,” you heard Vader’s voice above your head, laced with his own need. 

“I can’t help it,” you swallowed, lifting your head to find his gaze on your flushed face. “It’s like after last night I can’t seem to want to stop touching you.”

“You’re going to have to learn to control yourself,” Vader replied, his hand grabbing yours to stop your advances. “Let’s try _not_ to make that vision of yours true, shall we? I would rather not have to worry about another problem on top of all the kriffing shit we are already dealing with.”

“You don’t want it,” you asked with bleakness in your voice. “You don’t want this child.”

Vader sighed. “That’s _not_ what I’m saying. It’s just that right now is not the best time to be pregnant and have a child while we are in the middle of the war.”

“And what if I already am?” you asked, looking at Vader’s face with fear in your heart.

His face twitched once again. “If it comes down to that then we’ll deal with it accordingly.”

“How?” you pressed for answers, your mind going through many possibilities at what he meant by ‘dealing with it’. 

“I won’t ask you to abort it, if that’s what you are wondering,” he answered before sighing. “We’ll just have to be extra cautious. No sex until we know for sure if you’re pregnant or not.”

“Not even protected?” you asked, watching his face and biting your lip as he stared down at you.

“Is _that_ what you want?” he asked, raising one of his eyebrows.

You averted your gaze, feeling embarrassed under his gaze, your own emotions all over the place. 

“If only _you_ want it,” you replied, keeping your gaze averted. 

Vader was quiet and you felt like disappearing from his view, your cheeks flushed from heat and embarrassment at having this conversation with him.

“I don’t have any means to protect us both at this time,” he finally replied and you raised your head to look at him. “I never needed such a thing to begin with while I was confined to my suit.”

You continued to watch him as he tried to formulate his next words. “But perhaps when I manage to get us the needed _items_ , we can return to this topic. Does that answer please you enough?”

You nodded your head, satisfied with his answer. 

“Good,” he replied. “I need to change and so do you. Let’s convene back at my office once we are both dressed.”

“Okay,” you said, before Vader simply nodded and walked out the room. 

___

When you finally made your way back to his office Vader was already sitting at his desk, his face grim as he read some sort of report on his datapad. 

“Is something wrong?” you asked, coming up behind him as you tried to peer behind his shoulder.

“There has been a development,” he started and you frowned, looking at his profile as his gaze was focused on the document in front of him. “It appears the Empire is asking for my return to their ranks, under Thrawn’s order.”

“ _What_?” you exclaimed, baffled at such news, watching Vader’s face for his own reaction. 

“My thoughts exactly,” he replied when he finally pushed away the datapad from him and sighed. 

“And your plan is?” you slowly asked, careful in how you phrased the question. You still weren’t sure how Vader felt about being framed by Palpatine for destroying the Rebellion, making him seem like a hero in the Empire’s eyes. It still didn’t make much sense to you. 

“I would have to oblige him and take him up on his offer,” he responded and that was the _last_ thing you expected him to say. 

“ _What_?” you asked with incredulity in your voice. “If it’s not a sign that you’d be walking into a trap, I don’t know what is. We don’t even know if Thrawn is working with Palpatine, not to mention Maul is going to be there too. This is a very insane idea, Vader.”

Vader finally turned his face to look at you with a look that told you he already made up his mind and it didn’t matter what you were going to say, you would not change his mind. 

“Precisely why I must go,” he replied. “There is no other way to find what the Empire is up to. This is a perfect opportunity to get such information. Besides, Thrawn is not foolish to outright kill me. It seems the whole galaxy is now aware that I am alive and my apparent help in destruction of the Rebellion, however misguided such information is. I cannot pass up the opportunity by being welcomed with open arms instead of being labeled as a criminal and a fugitive.”

“You know the Rebellion won’t like that,” you frowned. “If anything, it will only solidify everyone’s belief that you tricked them.”

“There is _no_ Rebellion,” Vader reminded you with a pointed look. “The fractions scattered across the galaxy won’t stand a chance against the might of the Empire. The central command had been destroyed, it would take them years to rally up their forces. By then, the Empire would have wiped them all out. You’ve heard it yourself, the war is over. The Empire won.”

“Then why do _they_ need _you_?” you asked with anxiousness in your voice. You did not like the idea of Vader leaving.

“A symbol,” Vader answered. “That’s what I represented serving under Palpatine. It is to remind people that a monster still exists and their slight disobedience against the Empire would result in their deaths by my hand.”

“Is that what you _want_?” you asked, watching his face and trying to read him through your bond with him. 

“No,” Vader responded after a while. “That’s what Palpatine wants. He wants to cage me in, make me believe I have the power to stop him. Put me in a spotlight and make me do things in the name of the Empire because that’s what he made the galaxy believe I exist for.”

“But you won’t,” you voice wavered. “You won’t do it.”

Unknown emotion crossed Vader’s face and he averted his gaze, making you halt your breathing. 

“Vader, you don’t have to do it. You don’t need to play his twisted game any longer.” When Vader did not reply you turned his chair around so he could not avoid looking at you. “Remember what I told you about you being a person and not a tool? You can make your own decisions. You don’t have to do anything that you don’t want to.”

“It’s not that simple,” Vader growled. “If I had nothing else to lose I’d damn them all and do things _my_ way. But I can’t.”

“What -”

“Palpatine would always find a way to hold me by my leash,” Vader said, regret lacing his voice. “I can’t risk him hurting you or Leia.”

You frowned at that. “He won’t have to,” you said with determination in your voice. “Palpatine can’t - “

“He already hurt _you_ ,” Vader hissed, his hands balling into fists. “I won’t let him _touch_ you again.”

You were confused by his words. Did he mean the time on the base when you were held as a prisoner and General Rieekan was subjecting you to painful interrogations until you later learned that it was Palpatine controlling the man? 

“If you’re planning on going then I’m coming with you,” you announced and Vader’s gaze snapped to you, his eyes narrowed. 

“ _No_ ,” he vehemently spat. “Out of the question.”

“That wasn’t a question,” you replied only making Vader more angry as he hissed and then stood up from the chair, glaring at you.

“This is much more dangerous than your meek attempts at saving Solo when you were almost killed,” he spat. “I cannot allow you to throw your life away just for your own comfort of being by my side. I can take care of myself.”

“You told me the same thing last time and then you ended up in a medical center, half _dead_ ,” you spat back. 

“You are _not_ coming with me,” Vader yelled, the Force swirling in danger. 

“If I can’t change your mind then you can’t change mine either,” you shrugged and yelped in surprise when Vader pushed you against the desk with his body, his eyes now completely yellow as he took harsh breaths. 

“If I can’t change your mind then I can just make you _forget_ ,” he snapped, his face mere inches from yours. 

You raised your chin to glare at him, managing to keep yourself from flinching under his hard gaze. “The Force showed me that I’m meant to be by your side through all this.”

“Screw the Force and its visions,” Vader hissed. “I am _not_ risking your life.”

“If you won’t let me come with you then I’ll find another way to infiltrate the Empire and then who knows what kind of risks I’ll be subjecting myself to,” you shrugged, trying to keep your voice level as you’ve just given Vader an ultimatum you knew he’d have a hard time to accept. 

“You - insufferable -” Vader sputtered, followed by a series of curse words in Huttese. 

“So you agree with the arrangements?” you asked, trying to hide your smirk which made Vader’s eyes blaze from unleashed anger. 

“No, I don’t agree with any of this,” he hissed. “You leave me no choice.”

You frowned, watching his face twisted in angry scowl. You sighed, before raising one of your hands to his face, trying to smooth his hard lines with your fingers as you stroked his cheek. 

“I’m not doing this because I’m trying to make your life harder,” you caught Vader’s look that told you he thought the opposite, your own existence making his life a miserable hell on its own. “I’m doing this because I _care_ about you. I won’t be able to live with myself if something were to happen to you.”

“The feeling is mutual,” Vader growled and then sighed, closing his eyes and leaning into your touch. 

You softly smiled, continuing your slow ministrations around his face, before leaning in on your tiptoes to kiss him, your lips gently moving around his as you softly nibbled on him. Vader sighed once again before bringing his arms around you and responding to your touch as he opened his lips to let you in. You moaned into his mouth, the kiss turning more passionate as you continued to battle with him, your body leaning closer to him until you started grinding your core against him. 

Vader groaned, pushing you further into the desk until you wiggled yourself on top of it, wrapping your legs around his torso, while you continued to rub against his crotch. Vader hissed, his own hardness palpable through his pants and you moaned once more, your core heating up and dripping from your arousal. 

“We need to stop,” Vader finally growled, breaking the kiss, his breaths harsh against your own. “If this is how it’s going to be every time we are near each other this is going to turn into a real problem.”

You looked at him through your own haze filled with desire, your eyes silently begging him for your reprieve. 

“I told you,” he started, his voice low. “We can’t keep doing this until we know for sure if you’re -”

“Then use your hands,” you breathlessly interrupted him. 

“What?” Vader asked, looking at you with a look that told you he thought you were losing your mind. 

“Your hands,” you moaned, biting your lip. “If we can’t have sex then make me come some other way.”

You watched Vader’s face morph into shock, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed, his own arousal palpable in the Force, his gaze turning dark. 

“I -” he stumbled for words. “You haven’t had enough this morning?”

You softly laughed. “I don’t think I can ever get enough of you,” then you directed your gaze right at him and in all seriousness whispered. “And by the feel of it you haven’t had enough either.”

Vader growled, his hips bucking against your core, his hardness pressing against your heat and you both moaned. 

“Force, woman,” Vader hissed. “You’re driving me _insane_.”

You were about to respond when a beeping call interrupted the silence in the room and you looked at Vader in confusion. His own face scrunched in frown, his gaze going past you as he looked at the holo transmitter beeping behind you, his arousal swiftly gone and replaced with his usual coldness as he stood still. 

“I thought you said this place was more secure than Mustafar?” you asked in whisper, searching his face. 

“It is,” Vader growled, before swiftly detangling your body from his. You ignored the ache in your core from loss of Vader’s heat but now was not the time to think about such things. 

“Is it Palpatine?” you asked, trying to hide your own fear at saying the man’s name. 

“Get behind one of the walls,” he simply said, his voice hard and commanding. There was no room for argument and you shivered at his coldness. 

You complied with his request, swiftly crossing the room and placing yourself behind one of the walls, hidden from the view of the caller, just in time as Vader answered the call. 

“Lord Vader,” you heard Thrawn’s voice greeting Vader in his usual tactfulness. “I thought I would find you here. It appears I was correct.”

“Either that, or,” Vader growled, his voice laced with hidden threat. “You obtained this information from a third party.”

“Ah, that,” Thrawn chuckled. “You may as well be correct with your assumptions.”

There was silence between the two men and you quickly glanced around the corner to see Vader’s face barely concealed in fury as he stared at the holo image of the Chiss. 

Thrawn was the first to break the tense silence. “Have you thought about my proposition, Lord Vader?”

“I have,” Vader confirmed with a curt reply, crossing his arms across his chest. “And I accept your offer, under the conditions that I will be reinstated to my original position before the Battle of Endor as the Supreme Commander of the Imperial Army.”

“That can certainly be arranged,” Thrawn replied, and even though you couldn’t see his face you knew the other man was smiling, elated at Vader’s response. “Under my own condition, that is.”

Vader’s gaze hardened. “Which is?”

“I was hoping that you’d kept your suit,” Thrawn started and your breathing stopped. “You must understand that part of the reason why so many men feared you was because of your looks, as well as your talent in the Force.”

“You want me to don my suit,” Vader slowly started, his anger permeating the air in the room in thick layers. “So that you could _parade_ me around and instill fear in your own men?”

“That is part of the reason,” Thrawn replied, his voice unfazed at the anger directed at him. “But the larger part of my condition lies in the fact that people would simply not recognize you without your suit. Even if your past identity has been revealed, people will still have a hard time connecting the dots. Not to mention the fact that you hate to be reminded of your past name, Lord Vader. That is going to happen a lot more often if you were _not_ wearing your suit.”

“A solution to which can be rectified by killing those that dare to utter that name,” Vader hissed.

“I would rather you _not_ kill all of my officers that would make such a simple mistake,” answered Thrawn and you growled under breath at his well hidden impertinence. 

Vader stood silent, glaring at the other man. 

“Which brings me to my next point,” Thrawn continued and you frowned. The man certainly had balls to lay more than one condition on Vader. “The Commander that I had unfortunately missed meeting in proper conditions back on _Executor_ , she is certainly welcome to come aboard your vessel, Lord Vader.”

You silently gaped, shocked that Thrawn would request for you to accompany Vader. And how had he even _known_ it was you? Your face was covered by the Inquisitor’s mask. Not to mention the fact that he somehow also knew you were with Vader at this very moment. 

Vader must have realized the same thing by the growl in his voice, his stance menacing. “What makes you think she would even _consider_ coming along with me?” Vader hissed, playing his part well at keeping his indifference towards you secret. There was no point playing a fool in denying your known identity. If Thrawn was controlled by Palpatine he would have already known all the information about you. 

“I was under the impression she would follow you anywhere, even to her own death, if I could judge her character from my brief interaction with her and witnessing her undeniable _attachment_ to you, Lord Vader.”

Vader growled, his eyes flashing in promise of agonizing death as he stared down at Thrawn. 

“There is no need for such hostility, Lord Vader,” Thrawn said in his most appealing voice. “I am looking forward to meeting her in person. In fact, I am willing to grant her a title of her own. A Lieutenant Commander, stationed on your vessel under your command. It is a fitting title for her previous role as an Inquisitor.”

You could not believe that you heard Thrawn’ words correctly, your eyes wide as you tried to process that information. 

“You may have your vessel back,” Thrawn continued, unfazed by Vader’s silence. “The _Executor_ had already been given orders to randevu with you above Vjun. You shall receive a call from Grand Admiral Piett in the next few hours. I hope this gives you plenty of time to _prepare_ yourself.”

The call had abruptly ended, Thrawn fully expecting Vader to comply with his requests. Vader stood still and then you felt a sudden threat in the Force as every object that was around him had been blown to pieces from his anger, pieces flying into walls as the room shook from his released anger, window and floor cracking as he unleashed the Dark Side.

“Vader, _stop_!” you screamed, ducking around whatever was left of the furniture as you tried to near him. “Stop.”

Vader continued to pulse with the Dark Side, his expression livid as his eyes turned into the most sickly yellow color you’ve only ever seen on Palpatine, rimmed with red circles as he ignored your pleas to stop thrashing the room. 

“Vader, _please_ ,” you begged him, slowly inching yourself closer to him, making sure you were in his vision as he glared at you. “It’s _okay_.”

You slowly reached for his hand, careful in your movements as you grasped him and then you closed the space between the two of you and enveloped your arms around him. It was a long time until you felt Vader’s body convulse, the Dark Side receding as the room stopped shaking. And another long moment until you felt his arms envelop you, crushing you in his chest as you felt him shaking. 

“It’s okay,” you repeated, knowing full well that it was not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Vader, still being controlled by Palpatine :(
> 
> This proposition had to happen to progress the story and get Vader where I wanted him to be. And yes, our bad boy will be back in his suit :p
> 
> Hope you enjoyed it!


	37. Commander.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been two months since I've started posting this story on ao3. And I can't believe I've stuck with it with now 37 chapters written and 300 pages long with over 100k words. That's a crazy feat even for me (I have never done something like this before lol). I just wanted to thank all that had commented and supported my story and for all of your kudos <3 I love hearing your feedback.

You were scrolling through some datapads, sitting in one of the chairs in Vader’s personal quarters when you heard it. The unmistakable sound of harsh breaths of the respirator echoing around the hallways and you froze. You’d forgotten all about that sound. You turned around just in time to see Vader enter the room in all his glory, his suit donned up with his cape billowing behind him. 

“Okay, I can see how your appearance can instill fear,” you finally responded after you stopped ogling him with your eyes. “I hate to say it but Thrawn was right.”

“Don’t remind me of his name,” Vader snapped and you winced at the harshness of his artificial voice through a vocoder. 

“Must you wear that mask now?” you asked, hating the fact that the mask was hiding his features you were so used to seeing by now. 

“If I’m to wear this kriffing suit, I might as well get used to it while we wait,” Vader replied and you felt through the Force his agitation. 

“You hate wearing it,” you realized once you placed another emotion radiating off Vader that he tried and failed to hide from you.

“After the last few months finally being free of this durasteel _cage_ , you think I would be _happy_?” he snapped at you and you frowned, setting the datapad aside.

“I’m sorry,” you finally said, raising yourself from the chair and coming up to his stiff form. “I didn’t mean to make you upset.”

Vader’s helmet turned your way and you cursed the damn thing for hiding his eyes. 

“You did not,” he finally answered. “This is just a displeasing circumstance all together.”

You did not answer him, instead took your time to inspect his suit. This one looked newer and slightly different from the one he used to wear when you first met him. You raised your eyes to look at his mask with a questioning look in them. 

“It _is_ new,” Vader confirmed your silent question by reading your fleeting thoughts. “I have had several of them made and kept in different parts of the galaxy in each of my personal residences. A necessity prompted after one of my failed missions early on in my servitude to Palpatine.”

“Failed?” you asked, frowning. 

“My suit was destroyed. Several times, in fact. I had lost count how many times it had to be repaired.”

“It’s…. _different_ ,” you finally said, raising your hand to feel the leather of the armor, your fingers ghosting over his shiny shoulder guards.

“This was one of the first ones I duplicated,” he answered you. “A replica of the one I was placed in right after my injuries on Mustafar.”

_Mustafar_ , you mused. “After your battle with an old master,” you didn't mean to say it out loud and you instantly knew that was the _wrong_ thing to say when Vader’s anger flared up and he growled.

“Don’t remind me of _him_ either,” he spat the words out, coming out garbled and threatening through his modulator. 

You flinched from his harshness, in the last few months growing quite unused to not hearing his voice like that, emotionless, cold and _inhuman_. 

A beep on the comlink strapped to his belt had startled you and you realized that the _Executor_ had arrived when you heard a sound of a large vessel coming out of hyperspace. 

“You still have a chance to stay back,” Vader’s voice snapped you out of your trance and you lifted your head to look at him. “You don’t have to come with me.”

You scowled at that. “Not a chance. Besides, how could I _possibly_ refuse an offer to my new position within the Imperial Army,” you sarcastically added, rolling your eyes at that. 

You felt dry amusement rolling off Vader. “You do realize my rank now outranks yours, _Lieutenant Commander_?”

You grimaced at that. “He could at least have given me a Commander title,” you growled to which Vader actually laughed, although it was garbled and unrecognizable through his modulator. 

“I was quite serious,” Vader’s amusement quickly evaporated. “When I told you that had you been part of my crew in earlier years, I would have _never_ allowed you to act brash and disrespectful aboard my ship.”

You gave Vader an incredulous look. “ _Me_ ? Acting _brash_ and _disrespectful_? Since when?”

Vader shifted his stance, and even though you couldn’t see his face you knew his eyes were narrowed, glaring down at you, his look telling you that he thought you were exactly what he labeled you as. 

You mimicked his glare with your own. “And since when did you start acting so _snobbish_?” you grumbled. “Now that you have your title and your ship back you think you can act all cocky and bossy with me?”

Vader growled. “I’m simply warning you,” he answered. “ _Try_ to blend in and not cause _too_ much trouble.”

You bristled at that but stayed quiet as Vader answered his comlink. 

“Lord Vader, your shuttle is ready for you.”

“I’ll be there momentarily,” he answered and then turned to look at you again. 

“No funny business,” he warned, pointing his gloved finger in your face.

You scowled. “You certainly had no trouble getting back to your old persona,” you swatted at his hand. “Don’t order me around.”

“Don’t make me lose my temper,” he growled back. 

“Only if you don’t make me lose mine, Vader.”

You planned on heading out when suddenly Vader grabbed you by your arm, twirling you around to face him. 

“One more thing,” he growled. “It’s _Lord_ Vader.”

___

Despite the fact that you’ve already been inside the ship once, you were still slightly awed at the massiveness of the Super Star Destroyer that greeted you when the shuttle finally landed inside the landing bay. Its pristine white walls, accentuated by some grey and black columns and the mirrored black floors sparkling with their cleanliness had made you watch in mesmerized silence. Looked like whatever damage you had caused with the explosives had been cleared out, the place looking like the scuffle had never even happened. Several rows of stormtroopers had been positioned on each side of the shuttle with Grand Admiral Piett and a few other officers standing some distance away from the ramp that finally lowered down. 

“Follow my lead,” Vader’s voice snapped you out of your trance and you looked up to see him standing up from his seat. “Do not talk unless it is absolutely necessary, I will handle the necessary details of your presence here.”

You did not respond, glancing away from him and out into the viewport of the shuttle. You felt Vader’s spike of aggravation at your lack of response to him but he did not comment, simply swishing his cape as he walked out into the landing platform. 

You did not want to admit even to yourself that despite your adamance to follow Vader, you felt unsure at the whole prospect of being once more within the Imperial Fleet. Or perhaps the proper word would be unease, the memories of your last time being on this ship playing out in your head as you dragged Vader’s body half limp across the floor to get him out of the danger. 

“Lord Vader,” Piett had addressed the man, inclining his head in respect. “It is an honor to finally have you back with us.”

“Grand Admiral Piett,” Vader’s voice boomed across the silence of the hangar as he finally stepped in front of the shorter man. “It is unfortunate our last meeting had to be cut short due to some unforeseen _circumstances_.”

The other man subtly flinched, his face blanching. “I apologize Lord Vader, for not recognizing you at the time - “

“It is of no matter to me now,” Vader interrupted the other man and you silently scoffed, annoyed at Vader’s display of his undesirable traits, such as interrupting people that he deemed were a waste of his time. “I want a full report of the Empire’s performance in the last three years.”

“Uh - certainly, Lord Vader,” Piett answered. “I must inform you that we received a direct order from the Supreme Leader to immediately leave for Coruscant.”

You frowned and you felt that Vader was not happy with these turn of events, although he hid it well. “Very well,” he finally answered. 

Piett visibly relaxed and then quickly glanced in your direction, his manners and position preventing him from outright asking Vader of your presence on the ship. Vader thought this was a perfect moment to introduce you to the officers.

“This is [Y/N], a newly assigned Lieutenant Commander to this ship,” he said, not even glancing your way as he said it. 

“A pleasure to have you aboard, Lieutenant Commander,” Piett finally addressed you and you briefly smiled, inclining your head in his direction.

“Likewise,” you answered, curt and to the point, unease still creeping in the pit of your stomach. You knew it was a foolish thing to think about, but you were apprehensive at the prospect that the man knew of your actions on this ship a few weeks ago, by blowing up the main hangar. 

_He does not suspect a thing_ , you heard Vader’s voice in your head but if anything you were even more aggravated, not quite feeling yourself at the moment and you despised it. 

“This is Commander Donnall,” Piett introduced the man you recognized from the time when he greeted you and Vader when you both posed as Inquisitors the first time you landed on the flagship. “He can show you around the flagship and accustom you to our protocols.”

You briefly glanced at Vader’s back, frowning when he did not say anything but swiftly schooling your features into neutral passiveness as you nodded your head.

“That would be helpful,” you replied before landing your gaze on the Commander. “I’m at your service, _Commander_.”

Perhaps Vader was right when he called you disrespectful and rash but something about being polite and playing the role of an obedient officer in the midst of all the Imperial snakes had made your mood sour and you gritted your teeth. You realized you’d have a much harder time blending in than you originally thought it would be. It reminded you of the Imperial Academy all over again. It didn’t help that you felt dry amusement rolling off Vader at your predicament and you sent a mental shove back at him along with a few curse words. 

“Right this way, Lieutenant Commander,” Donnall replied and bowed his head at Vader before swiftly heading off in the direction of the lifts and you grudgingly followed the man. You felt Vader’s gaze boring into you until the lift doors closed and you were left all alone with the man you barely knew, except for his name. 

“Perhaps the first thing we should start with is supplying you with the proper uniform,” Donnall started and you glanced his way, looking at his pristine black uniform as he watched you. 

“Yes, I suppose,” you replied, earning an odd look from the man next to you.

“Where were you stationed prior to your transfer aboard the _Executor_?” the man asked and you tensed. You did not even think about coming up with your backstory prior to boarding with Vader and you already knew that saying you were once a Commander of the Rebel Alliance would most likely grant you a death sentence. 

“I - um - was stationed at the Imperial Center on Coruscant,” you said, trying to keep your voice from wavering and your breathing normal. 

“Oh?” the man asked, leaning his body closer to yours and making you quite uncomfortable. “Which division? You seem to be quite young to already have earned the title of a Lieutenant Commander. How old are you anyways?”

You gritted your teeth, the man’s questions irritating you. He seemed to possess no tact and his outright rudeness was making you want to snap at him, not to mention crossing the distance into your own personal space.

“I am twenty six standard years,” you replied, keeping a small smile on your face. “I worked with the Inquisitorius Program for a while, before switching to a more _laborious_ sector of the Imperial Center. It is _classified_ information, Commander, I’m sure you will understand my reluctance to tell you everything.”

The man looked you up and down, narrowing his eyes on your face and then begrudgingly replied. “I understand. Even so, it is quite impressive for someone your age to have climbed up in the Imperial ranks.”

“I will take it as a compliment, Commander,” you smugly replied as the doors of the lift opened and you followed the man through a set of long corridors of the ship until he stopped in front of one of the doors. 

“This will be your cabin,” Donnell informed you. “This sector of the ship is exclusively for officers aboard the _Executor_. Your uniform should arrive shortly. I will come to collect you in one standard hour to continue the tour of the ship and familiarize you with your duties.”

“Thank you, Commander,” you replied in a polite voice, ready to be left alone for a few minutes, your aggravation barely contained. 

The door to the cabin barely hissed closed when you pressed your back against it and sighed, your face falling into a displeasing scowl. You hated it. It had only been less than an hour since you'd boarded the flagship and you were already losing your patience. You didn’t know how Vader could manage to control _his_ temper, especially being confined in his suit. You let out a long sigh, closing your eyes and trying to take deep breaths. You had to remind yourself why you were doing this. You couldn't afford to lose your cool and let your true intentions be exposed. 

You opened your eyes back up and looked around the small space that was now your room. It was nothing fancy, a twin bed, a small desk with a chair, a bookshelf and off to the side a door to the fresher. You had less pleasing environments than this when you were an Inquisitor so you couldn’t complain. At least it was nice and clean. A knock on the door startled you and opened it up to see another officer holding up a uniform for you. You thanked him before closing the door and locking it. 

You quickly made your way to the fresher, taking off the clothes you’d “borrowed” from Vader, discarding them on the floor before looking back up in the small mirror. You frowned at your own reflection, noticing dark circles under your eyes and the bleak color of your skin. You looked even younger without the makeup, although you hardly ever wore it, and the comments you knew would circulate throughout the flagship did nothing to settle your growing anxiety. At least when you were an Inquisitor, your face was hidden under a mask. And when you were a Commander of the Rebel Alliance, no one bothered with pointing out your age. There were far younger people in the Rebellion, like General Organa who was the same age as you. The Empire had a different outlook on the age, scorning the younger ones and especially women. There was some unspoken rule about discrimination against female officers. 

You sighed, changing out into the Imperial uniform, taking care in making sure it looked proper enough on your slim body. It had been quite a while since you’ve worn something like this and you wanted to make sure you did it right so as to not draw much attention to you. By the time you put on your boots and belt, you looked presentable enough, black color accentuating your figure. You had a much harder time taming your wild hair, your waves falling around your face as you tried to brush them back. You had never bothered much with it, growing it out in the past few years and simply wearing it down or in high ponytails, sometimes even forgetting to brush it out. But you knew that would not fly through with the Empire, knowing their adherence to the strict code regarding officer’s uniform. You managed to tuck it all in under the cap, some loose curls falling around your face and you sighed. It was either that or you’d have to cut your hair. The finishing touch was your gloves, and when you were done you looked in the mirror to check yourself. Not bad, you thought, smirking to yourself. Black was not such a bad color, better than the unattractive green the Empire had made all of its officers wear for almost two decades.

You glanced down at your lightsabers, hidden from view under your clothes when you first arrived, and debated if you should leave them or take them. You decided on the latter, not knowing what awaited you outside the doors and not wanting to get into a situation that would warrant you to use them, like running into Maul or other Inquisitors. You knew Vader brought one of his from Vjun and had it on display clipped to his belt. You did not have the same liberty of displaying yours out in the open, so you tucked them both under your jacket just in time when you heard another knock at the door. 

“I was hoping you’d be ready,” Donnell greeted you when you opened the door and did a check with his eyes, lingering a little _too_ long for your liking on your chest before his eyes found yours and you wanted to hiss. 

“I am,” you replied, trying to keep your voice even and not growl at the man. 

“Good,” he nodded. “Then let’s resume your acquaintance with the ship and the crew,” he said as he let you pass through the doors and follow him through the hallways. 

“You will act as a senior department officer, or as second-in-command if I’m not present,” the man continued and you pretended to listen to him rattle on about your other duties, while keeping your face carefully composed into curious neutrality as you stared ahead.

“This is the bridge,” the man finally snapped you out of your self-imposed trance and you glanced around the wide space, the elongated pits set below the floor level where lower-rank officers were currently working as well as the walkway, hoping to see Vader standing by the viewport. To your dismay he was not there and you frowned. 

“It seems all the superior officers are still in the meeting,” Donnell continued and you nodded, keeping your gaze averted. “I will show you to our joint office room where you’d spend most of your time doing your paperwork,” the man continued and you almost rolled your eyes. You hated paperwork. 

Just as the man promised, he led you to the office and showed you to your desk and immediately gave you the datapad with much needed work to shuffle through, as he settled down on the opposite side of the room as he looked through one of his own datapads. You scowled, chewing your lip as you glanced through the pile of files on the datapad, scrolling through all the work you had to complete and you almost groaned. This was _not_ what you signed up for.

By the time you completed at least a third of the work it was already time for the end of your shift based on what Donnell had told you and you hastily raised yourself from the seat intent on finding Vader and giving him a piece of your mind for leaving you all alone.

“Going so soon?” Donnell asked and you halted, turning around to stare at the man. “I was hoping you’d have some time to have dinner with me and perhaps meet some of the other officers.”

You almost laughed at the man’s meek attempts at asking you out, not to mention his hidden intentions all along, the man not aware you could read his thoughts. You felt his gaze all throughout your hours of working silently, avoiding to look at the man as he continued to ogle you. 

“I’m afraid I must decline your offer,” you politely told the man, planning on leaving before he asked you something else.

“And why is that?” the man asked, raising himself from his seat. “You hardly know anyone on this ship. I’m simply trying to make your life easier.”

“What is _that_ supposed to mean?” you growled, finally losing your patience with the man. 

“It means you, my dear, need to show some respect to your superiors,” the man drawled, coming up closer to you, intent visible in his glowing eyes. “A woman such as yourself, all _alone_ amidst the men. Surely you must see your predicament.”

You almost scoffed at that. This man was delusional. You turned around to leave when suddenly you were yanked back against his chest, his hands roaming around your body as he finally squeezed your breasts through the fabric of your uniform.

“Let me go, you _bastard_ ,” you screamed, managing to tear yourself off, only for him to grab you by your hair as he hissed against your ear.

“You little _wench_ ,” he growled, bucking his hips against your ass. “I will teach you a lesson for disobeying your superior’s orders. You have no one who will be willing to help you. Be glad it’s me and not the Captain who laid their eyes on you. He can be quite _barbaric_ with the newcomers.”

You hissed, elbowing the man in the gut before kicking one of your legs under him and knocking him under his own feet as you twirled around and punched him in the face.

“You _bitch_ ,” he wailed as you stumbled out of the room, running full speed through the corridors of the ship. You rounded the corner and smacked right into a solid chest of another officer, stumbling back on your feet.

“What do we have here?” a male voice drawled and you looked up to see a middle-aged man, looking down at you with a displeasing look on his face. “By the looks of it, you’re that new newcomer that arrived with Lord Vader today. What a displeasing sight.”

You were confused by his words until you looked down to see your uniform distorted, your cap missing and your frazzled hair around your face. You didn’t even notice this while running full speed. 

“This is absolutely unacceptable,” the man continued, practically yelling at you. “If Lord Vader were to see you he would - “

“Is there a problem, Captain Thule?” Vader’s voice cut in, coming up behind the Captain and you wanted to fall through the floor and disappear. This was _not_ how you planned on meeting with Vader, in your disheveled state, your mind in disarray and out of breath from running through the hallways of the ship trying to put some distance away from the Commander. 

“It appears this... _woman_ has no regard for our dress code, on top of disregarding the safety by running around like a madman, unbefit that of an officer,” the Captain continued and your cheeks heated up, either from embarrassment or anger, you were not sure. Your only focus was on Vader as he silently regarded you, perhaps judging you and already thinking of ways to punish you. 

“What do you have to say for yourself, _officer_?” the Captain hissed, his eyes glowing as he glared at you. You remembered the Commander’s words earlier about this man, and as you watched his eyes you knew those words were true. He only saw you as a woman, a piece of meat for him to chew and digest. 

“Where had she gone - “ you stiffened, hearing the Commander’s voice behind you as he rounded the corner and stopped in his tracks right beside you. You growled, barely containing your anger, itching to strangle the man for his earlier harassment. 

“Whatever happened to your nose, Commander?” the Captain asked, his eyes turning to look at the other man. You didn’t have to turn to look at the man to know his nose was broken and bleeding from your punch. Serves that bastard right.

“ _She_ did this to me - “ Donnell screamed, pointing his finger at you. “I was only trying to _help_ her.”

“ _Really_?” you finally snapped, glaring daggers at the man. “Does your help always include you subjugating women to sleep with you, or worse, rape them?”

“How _dare_ you - “ he started but then choked on his own words, his hands flying to his neck as he garbled the words. You watched in confusion, until realization hit you and you turned your head to see Vader standing with extended arm, his hand curled in a manner which told you he was strangling the man. The Commander continued to choke, his face turning blue with his veins bulging until you heard an unmistakable sound of a sickening crunch as his neck snapped and the man was unceremoniously dropped on the floor as though he was garbage. 

“It appears your rank had been promoted to Commander,” Vader addressed you as he turned to look at you. 

“Lord Vader, “ Captain Thule started, tripping on his own words. “That was unne - “

“Do you _question_ my decision?” Vader snapped and the man paled, practically stuttering. 

“N-No, Lord Vader, I w-would never - “

“Then clean up this mess,” Vader continued in that same tone, his gaze still on you. “I shall question the Commander myself.”

Vader rounded on his heels, his cape billowing behind him and you felt a pull of the Force around you. You knew Vader wanted you to follow him and you trailed behind him, lost in your own thoughts until he stopped in front of a set of double doors, different from any other ones you’ve seen until they opened and you saw a spacious room and off to the side a round spherical shaped object. You were about to ask Vader what it was when he turned around, making you stumble against the closed doors as he towered over you.

“I left you for a few hours and _this_ is the state I find you in?” he growled, his anger pulsing against your shields. 

“What would you have me do then?” you snapped, your own anger rising to match his. “Stayed still while that bastard continued to grope me? Or perhaps you’d say I should have accepted his offer for dinner while he drugged me and then raped me?”

“While that _was_ his intention - “ Vader started and you lost it, your anger exploding. 

“Why are you _defending_ his actions?” you screamed at him. “Do you let all your officers act this way towards any woman that comes aboard this ship?”

“I am _not_ defending him!” Vader yelled back, his fist colliding with the door next to your head, making a prominent dent. “I would kill that bastard over and over again if I could.”

“ _Really_?” you sneered. “I suppose you’d say that the Captain is guiltless in such acts as well.”

“Do you wish for me to strangle every officer that looks at you the _wrong_ way?” Vader snapped, his voice but a growl as he towered over you. 

“Do you condone such animalistic behaviors in your men?” you snapped back, leaning your body towards his. 

“That is _beside_ the point -” Vader started and you scoffed, then sarcastically laughed as you rolled your eyes. 

“Right, I forgot you were merely just an _Imperial_ man,” you tried to flee by pushing against his body but Vader held you back, pinning you back against the door. 

“What is _that_ supposed to mean?” he hissed, his mask now hovering next to your face. 

“Just stating the facts, _my_ _lord_ ,” you bit back, unfazed by the amounts of dark energy pulsing around you. 

“No, you are _accusing_ me of things I am yet to be made aware of,” Vader snarled back, his body a solid wall as he pushed against you. 

“Don’t tell me you were never aware of the fact that the Empire always had a sexist attitude towards women,” you were starting to get a headache from this whole ordeal. “The men are allowed to walk over women, oppressing their ideals and using their bodies against their wills. Today just merely proved my point that such things had not changed, even years after I’ve left the Empire.”

Vader was silent, regarding your words. “This isn’t a simple display of your opinion on the matter,” Vader finally stated and you rolled your eyes at that, which earned a growl from Vader as he pushed you further against the door. “This is a _personal_ matter to you.”

“Of course it’s personal. I’m a woman,” you scoffed.

“No, it’s something _else_ ,” Vader replied, watching you. “Something that must have happened during your years of serving the Empire.”

“How very observant of you,” you huffed back, tired of fighting Vader. You sighed, closing your eyes. “I’m very tired. I would rather much like to go back to my own cabin and get some rest.”

“Not before you tell me what that was,” Vader’s voice rumbled as his hand that was still curled into fist above your head relaxed and he placed it on your shoulder, gripping it slightly. 

You sighed again, opening your eyes to look at the black lenses of his mask. “I don’t like not being able to see your face,” you quietly admitted, hoping your honest yet unrelated answer would deter him from prying into this matter any further. 

You were disappointed when Vader huffed, not buying your attempt at avoiding answering his question. “You are trying to change the subject.”

“And so what if I am?” you sighed, leaning your body against his and resting your head against his chest. “Can this conversation wait another time? I really am _tired_.”

Vader was silent, perhaps debating with himself if he should really drop the subject until you heard him sigh. “Very well. We will resume this discussion tomorrow.”

You were hoping that wouldn’t be the case and that he’d forget by tomorrow, although you kept your thoughts to yourself as to not rile up Vader any more than you already did. You were getting ready to lean back when Vader’s arms enveloped you, pressing you against his body in a tight hold. “It would be much safer for you to stay in my quarters tonight.”

You were startled from hearing his announcement, raising your head to look at his mask. “Wouldn’t that just cause more gossip to circulate around?”

“I don’t care for such things,” Vader replied and you frowned. 

“You don’t care about your reputation?”

“I think your safety is more important than some unproven speculations floating around that could be easily deterred by instilling fear into men,” Vader announced and you laughed. 

“You know I can take care of myself,” you finally said. “I did break that bastard’s nose after all.”

“Oh, I don’t doubt that you can,” Vader replied, slight amusement rolling off of him. “I would rather not take any more chances with your unprecedented ways of meeting misfortunes at every corner.”

“Aw, but that just makes _your_ life that much more exciting,” you teased him to which Vader growled. 

“You must have meant to say more _troublesome_ ,” Vader replied and you smiled, leaning your head back against his chest. 

  
“Yeah, _that_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so a few pointers. 
> 
> Yes, I made it seem like the Empire is bad, but that's because it _is_. There were a lot of prejudices and inequalities that will be touched up in the next chapter. And I wanted to make the Empire sexist and undermine women because even in the original films there were hardly any women serving the Imperial ranks. This is my story and if I offended anyone then I'm sorry but that's my personal view on the Empire.
> 
> Also, I had to look up the ranks within the Imperial Army and realized that Captain is below the Lieutenant Commander but when the Captain ran into her he didn't realize her rank (cause she outranks him) and pretty much thought he had a way with her until Vader stepped in. And I wanted to make Vader choke someone for touching what was his lol (cause that's hot and I don't care what anyone says).
> 
> Also, Vader's suit is the same one he wore in ROTS (I like that one the best) if anyone was wondering. 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed it :)


	38. Feelings and politics.

You ended up spending the night in Vader’s quarters under his insistence to which you had no desire or strength to argue. He let you use his own bed, claiming he had never used it even once while he was still serving the Emperor when the  _ Executor _ had been given under his command, instead opting to use his meditation chamber which you learned was the black spherical object occupying the center of the room, which was left untouched for the last three and a half years after Vader’s supposed ‘death’. After all, the room had been re-designed to accommodate Vader on his own flagship and the Empire saw no need to spend more credits to remodel the room, thus leaving it untouched in the condition it was before the Battle of Endor. 

To your own stubborn insistence you had told him you could share the bed with him, disliking the fact that he was choosing not to rest and instead choosing to work on some classified Imperial project he had discussed earlier with Piett. He wasn’t giving you any details either, which you found frustrating. Before he left you in the bedroom, adjoined to the main room, he told you he’d consider your offer only after he’d finish with his duties. You didn’t even remember falling asleep, your mind succumbing to the unconsciousness as soon as you hit the sheets. 

You were startled from your blissful state of oblivion when you felt the mattress shift under you, someone’s weight sliding in behind you. You opened your eyes only for the darkness to greet you, the room lacking any sort of viewports to even get some illumination from the hyperspace travel. In your confused state you rolled over only to smack into someone’s chest. 

“It’s just me,” Vader’s quiet voice cut through the silence, the lack of baritone and hiss of his respirator meant that he had taken off his suit. “Go back to sleep.” 

“What time is it?” you drowsily asked, unconsciously pressing your body against his and wrapping your arms around his torso, while snuggling into his chest. 

“It’s early,” he replied, softly sighing, his breath rustling your hair as he reciprocated the touch by placing one of his hands on your back. 

You did not reply, your body instantly relaxing in the comfort of Vader’s hold. You felt safe in his arms, secure and you cherished the warmth of his body against yours as you dozed off back to sleep. 

You woke up sometime later, the darkness still permeating the room. You shifted in the bed, instantly becoming aware that Vader was still sleeping next to you when you found yourself wrapped around in his arms with your back pressed against his chest. You slowly turned around, careful in your movements so as to not disturb Vader and instantly wished you could see his sleeping face. You liked watching him, unperturbed by any of the hardships or worries in his waking life as he slept, his face unraveling into an expression of peace the last time you saw him in your Force dream. 

You slowly raised your arm, trailing your fingers along his face in slow movements, with barely enough pressure for him to feel your touch as you skimmed over his brows, his nose, his lips and cheeks, feeling the softness of his skin mixed with his scars. You moved lower, trailing your hand along his neck and collarbone, mildly surprised to find that he was bare chested as you ghosted over his skin, moving your hand along his toned stomach. Your touch grew bolder the lower you went and soon you stopped at the waistline of his sleeping pants, feeling the material under your fingers as you grasped it. 

“What are you doing?” Vader’s voice asked above you and you shrieked from surprise and startlement, not expecting him to be awake. 

“You were pretending to be asleep,” you accused him with a grumpy voice. 

“Indeed,” he answered and you could tell he was smirking from the way the Force was rippling around you in waves, his amusement at your actions quite clear. “You didn’t answer my question.”

You bit your lip, contemplating if you should answer him as you let go of the fabric of his pants, moving your hand back up and rubbing circles around his toned stomach.

“I just wanted to touch you,” you quietly admitted, glad at the fact that the room was dark and he couldn’t see your blush, although you couldn’t hide your feelings from him in the Force. 

“You like touching me,” Vader said, his statement a mere confirmation of the fact instead of a question. 

“You don’t like it?” you asked, stopping your movements with your hand.

“I never said that,” Vader replied, bringing his own hand to your face, the metal feeling cold against your skin but regardless, you leaned into his touch and softly sighed as he started to rub at your temples, massaging the skin and your tangled hair around the base of the skull. 

“I’m simply not used to it,” he admitted after you resumed your own explorations of his body. “It’s been a long time since someone has touched me just because they wanted it, and not because of a necessity to keep me alive.”

You did not reply and your words were not necessary to convey to Vader how you felt. He could feel through the Force that you were unhappy with his response, feeling sadness and regret at what happened to him, although you knew Vader hated to be pitied. So you stayed quiet, absorbed into your own little world as you trailed your hand towards his chest, feeling the jagged scar that was more pronounced than the rest. 

“You are not repulsed,” Vader stated as an afterthought and you frowned, lifting your face to his, feeling his hot breath on your cheek. 

“Why would I be repulsed?” you asked.

“I’m not the same man I used to be,” Vader sighed, running his hand through your hair. “My body is ruined beyond what some surgeries can fix. If anything, I’m surprised you are willing to touch me at all.”

You scoffed at that, rolling your eyes at Vader’s simple yet distorted view of himself in your eyes. 

“I didn’t start liking you because of your looks,” you said and then gasped when you realized exactly what you’ve said to Vader. His hand stilled in your hair.

“You  _ like _ me?” he asked and you bit your lip, silently groaning at yourself for your slip of the tongue. 

“I -” you faltered, chewing on your lip. “I think so.”

He was silent and you shut your eyes, berating yourself for saying such things out loud. You’ve just recently learned that Vader felt something for you in return and now you were babbling to him that you liked him. Whatever it was that was between you and Vader was spiraling out of control faster than you could stop it. 

“Then tell me,” Vader finally replied, resuming his touch of your hair, twirling it between his metal fingers. “What is it that you like about me.”

“Vader, I - that’s - “ you stumbled over your words, madly blushing. “Please don’t make me say it out loud.”

“Why is that?” he asked, a smile evident in his voice. “You still have not convinced me of your reasoning for wanting to touch me.”

“Must I really have a reason?” you scoffed, rolling your eyes. “I told you the truth. I’m not repulsed when I look at you. And I don’t care what you looked like before - “

“That’s not entirely true,” Vader interrupted you. “You had been thinking about my previous looks before Mustafar.”

“Well, that was  _ before _ ,” you huffed, annoyed at Vader. “And as you’ve said so yourself, you are a  _ different _ man from that version of yourself. And that’s the only thing I’ve ever known since meeting you. Don’t try to twist my answers into something that’s not to your liking.”

“I’m not,” he quietly admitted after a while. “Your answer just surprised me. You’re the first person, aside from my son, who has admitted your feelings to me that are not based on hate and anger directed towards me.”

“I suppose that is bound to happen,” you sighed, leaning yourself closer to Vader’s body. “When you open yourself up to others and let them see the  _ real _ you.”

“I don’t think Padme would have agreed with your thoughts on that matter,” Vader replied, sighing as he adjusted the placement of his hand, encircling it around the small of your back. 

“Because of your difference in views on politics and war?” you asked, trying to recall the conversation you overheard between his younger self and his wife. 

“No,” Vader scoffed. “Although that was one of the reasons we fought over as the Clone War neared its ultimate end. I was talking about the decisions that eventually led to my rise as Palpatine’s apprentice and then later sealed my fate by rising against the Jedi Order and everything that she thought I believed in.”

You were quiet, unsure of what to say to him. You now knew of his reasons for betraying the Jedi Order and killing every last one of them in his attempt to save his dying wife. It seemed that his wife did not reciprocate Vader’s gestures by damning the whole galaxy for her. And Vader truly believed that she would have never understood his reasons even if she was still alive. 

You shifted your body, bringing your face to his bare chest and placed a small kiss on the scar, trying to soothe him and the aches in his heart you felt through the Force by showing him that you cared. Vader shifted his hips, allowing you more room to maneuver as you trailed your kisses along his chest and collarbone. You heard him sigh, his hand moving alongside your back, trailing his fingers along your skin when a beeping noise interrupted the moment, coming off the side table next to the bed. You realized a second later that the noise was coming from Vader’s comlink. Vader shifted on the mattress, separating himself from you as he reached for the device through the Force. He answered the call with a hint of irritation in his voice, snapping at the officer on the other line for interrupting his private moment while the officer tried to control the waiver in his voice as he relayed the information that Vader was needed on the bridge.

“Incompetent fools,” Vader snapped once he finished the call, throwing the device back on the side table as he raised himself off the bed.

“I suppose some things will never change,” you said through your own quiet laughter, muffling the noise with the back of your hand. 

Vader stilled and you felt change within him in the Force and before you could ask what was wrong, the lights were on, blinding you as you hissed from the uncomfortable sting in your eyes. When you finally adjusted to the brightness, you saw Vader standing by the foot of the bed, his gaze on you as he watched you with narrowed eyes.

“You said the same thing yesterday,” he started, his voice back to its normal self, void of any emotion he displayed just some moments ago. 

“What?” you asked, thoroughly confused as you stared at Vader.

“About change,” Vader snapped, crossing his arms over his chest. “What did you mean by that?”

You scowled, your mood instantly souring as you raised yourself off the bed on the opposite side, mimicking Vader’s stance, albeit it probably looked ridiculous with you wearing nothing but your undergarments. 

You focused your own hardened gaze on him. “Is this really a good time to have this discussion?”

“Yes,” he hissed. “You are not getting out of this conversation despite your obvious attempts at avoiding it,” Vader said, his tone final with no room for argument.

You scoffed, your anger swiftly rising as you glared at Vader. “This is really none of your concern.”

“ _ None of my concern? _ ” Vader hissed, his own anger rising to match yours. “None of my concern as my own officer tried to subjugate you?”

“That’s not really - ”

“Did I not make myself clear?” Vader growled, interrupting you, and in a few steps he was in front of you, using his height to tower over your small form as he backed you against the wall. “When I said your safety is my priority.”

You opened your mouth to argue but Vader pushed your back against the wall, using both of his hands to trap you between his body and the wall. “Enough with these weak attempts at keeping secrets from me.”

“Oh? Like you don’t keep secrets of your own?” you growled, glaring at Vader from your spot. 

“I suppose we must start  _ somewhere _ ,” Vader slowly started, keeping his gaze on you. “If this relationship is to work.”

You gaped at Vader, your mind briefly going blank. “Wait - you mean to tell me that whatever this is,” you vaguely moved your hand between Vader and you. “You actually call this a  _ relationship _ ?” 

“What else would  _ you _ call this?” Vader snapped. 

“I don’t know,” you shrugged. “A fling, perhaps?”

The look in Vader’s eyes made you want to back away from him if you weren’t already pinned to the wall. 

“A  _ fling _ ?” he hissed, his eyes narrowed into slits. “Who do you take me for? One of your  _ Imperial _ men?” he snapped and you flinched from the harshness in his voice. 

“Aren’t you one?” you managed to keep your voice from wavering, refusing to take Vader’s bait of using the name you called him yesterday when he tried to pry you for the information. “You are the one who agreed to Thrawn’s offer to come back to the Empire and even asked him to restore your previous position within its ranks.”

“You know  _ why _ I did it,” Vader replied, battling to keep his anger under control. “Yet you try to pin me with the rest of  _ them _ as though you hold me accountable for their wrongdoings.”

“I am not - “ you started but Vader leaned back away from you with a displeasing look on his face. 

“Forget it,” he snapped, crossing the room in a few quick strides to pick up parts of his suit he had taken off the night before. You watched in complete silence as he quickly donned them on, the speed with which he did so told you he had done it a countless times before and was almost like a second nature to him. He had refused to speak or even glance your way when he finished with his chest armor, clipping his cape around the shoulders. He was just reaching for his mask and helmet before you moved from your spot, and then grabbed his arm before he had the chance to hide his face from you. His head sharply turned your way as he glared down at you, his face scowled but you refused to back down as you clutched his arm.

“I’m sorry,” you quietly stated, looking into his eyes, a mixture of colors swirling in the depths of them as he watched you. “I realize I had been rather…  _ difficult _ to deal with.”

Vader snorted. “That’s an understatement.”

You glared at him. “But so have you,” and before Vader had the chance to say more you continued. “I don’t want us to part like this and stay mad at each other.”

“Then what do you propose?” Vader asked, his tone cold as though you were discussing a mere business with him and not the fact that you were trying to tell him something that was difficult for you to talk about. 

You frowned, looking away from his face and focusing on the chest plate. “It’s stupid, really. I shouldn’t have been riled up like that after what happened…” you trailed off, chewing on your lip. 

You took a deep breath. “It’s just that the few times that I’ve had an intercourse it’s been less than pleasant,” you finished the statement with heat in your cheeks. 

Vader shifted, his emotions flaring up. “Were you  _ raped _ ?” he growled and you looked up to see him seething in anger, his eyes blazing bright yellow.

“No,” you shook your head. “It wasn’t like that at all. More like... _ forced _ with the act.”

“That’s  _ rape _ ,” Vader hissed and you hastily continued before he decided to destroy the place in his anger. 

“Maybe to some degree,” you admitted. “But sometimes you have to make a decision between being forcefully taken against your will or agreeing to terms in hopes to at least save your dignity, while somewhat enjoying it knowing you agreed to it.”

Vader stared at you, his face blank. “How many men did you sleep with under such conditions?”

You almost laughed at Vader’s response to your statement, his jealousy radiating off of him in waves if the situation wasn’t so serious. 

“Just one. It’s always been Varlo,” you looked away again. “I was lucky than most of the other women. Even being an Inquisitor couldn’t save you from such vile acts committed against my gender. I was hoping with the Emperor's death, things would have changed. I suppose it only makes sense that Palpatine is still alive and men are still allowed to treat women in such degrading ways.”

It was quiet for a long time after you finished speaking and you were starting to get uncomfortable feeling Vader’s gaze on you. You peeked up to see him staring at you, his facial muscles clenched as he digested the new information. 

“Do you,” he finally started, his voice measured as he spoke. “Do you view me amongst the rest of them?”

You frowned, confused by his question but he continued. “Did you feel the need to sleep with me because you thought I’d take advantage of you? Because I already  _ did _ ?”

You were startled by the raw emotions slamming against your shields, his face betraying nothing but his hurt distinct and clear across your bond with him. 

“ _ What _ ? No,” you hastily replied, realizing what it was Vader was projecting. He thought he did the same exact thing you’ve witnessed countless other men do to women and how powerless you were to do anything to stop it. 

“Vader,  _ no _ ,” you continued, latching on to his other arm as you looked at him, stumbling over your own words. “That’s not - what we had - you are the first man I’ve ever  _ wanted _ to have sex with. And not because I felt pressured or threatened by anyone. I genuinely enjoyed it.”

You heated at the last part, your face flushed as you gripped Vader’s arms. “And this is the first time that I’ve felt this way and that I’m still craving your touch and that I want  _ more _ .”

Vader was still silent, his gaze hard and you felt the need to elaborate more. “Vader, I don’t blame you. It wasn’t your fault that I made such a decision and I shouldn’t have insinuated anything about you. I’m sor - “

“Don’t apologize,” Vader interrupted you with a hiss. “If anything I should be the one apologizing for failing to protect you.”

“You couldn't have known,” you replied and Vader growled, his eyes flashing as he twisted his arms from your grasp and then grabbed you by the shoulders, his grip tight enough to make you wince. 

“That was a foolish thing to keep from me,” he said, slightly shaking you in his grip. “If I had known, I would have killed the Captain as well. As a matter of fact, I will do so as soon as I come upon that bastard.”

You gave Vader a displeasing look. “While I certainly won’t be upset if you decide to kill the man, your action won’t change what’s happening across the whole Imperial Fleet. There would still be differences amongst the two genders and prejudice against women and such acts will keep happening even as we speak.”

“Not on my watch they won’t,” Vader growled. “It appears my men need to have certain reconditioning if they plan on serving aboard my ship.”

You huffed, rolling your eyes. “Vader, it’s not just about women. There are things the Empire is ignoring, had been doing that for years, things that should not be allowed to happen across the galaxy. Don’t tell me you don’t see this also. There are prejudices against other non-human races, illegal activities the higher officers are allowed to get away with, corruption in the financial departments now that the Senate had long been disbanded and not to mention whispers of Empire condoning slavery.”

At the last part you saw Vader’s face darkening, his emotions slamming against your walls and you winced at their intensity. 

“I know all of that,” he snapped, his anger directed at the meaning behind your words and not so much you. “I have witnessed all of that serving Palpatine. I turned blind eye to it all and consumed myself in the Dark Side. There was no stopping it. One governing body replaced by another, more evil and corrupted than the last. Palpatine had all the power, I was a mere pawn played by him…”

Vader trailed off and you watched him in silence, contemplating his words. “If the Rebellion is destroyed, then what will happen to the world as we know it?” you quietly asked. 

“I kill Palpatine, along with Thrawn and Maul,” Vader replied with enough conviction in his voice that you believed him. 

“And then what?” you asked. “You remove the people that are considered rulers of the said governing agency and then another war will break loose and it will be a repeating cycle until everything is destroyed.”

“Then what do  _ you _ suggest?” Vader scoffed. “There will always be an imbalance in power. Hundreds of planets suffered under the rule of the Galactic Republic, at least there was a semblance of peace under the Galactic Empire.”

“You mean to say a semblance of peace controlled by fear,” you stated and earned a glare from Vader. 

“I did my duty,” he hissed. “Even if you don’t agree with such methods it was far better than the Senate arguing over politics while doing  _ nothing _ .”

“While I don't agree with how you managed to bring control over planets, the method of only one governing body is better than having multiple ones,” you started, your gaze somewhat unfocused as you recalled the history of the Empire and that of the Galactic Republic when you studied them at the Imperial Academy. “I think the Senate should be reinstated and act as a hub to let planets voice their concerns and ideas to the rest of the galaxy.”

Vader scoffed. “That would be pointless if the galaxy reverts back to being a democratic ruled body. It did not work during the Clone Wars, countless systems suffered due to the Senate’s indecisions. Why do you think people were eager to get rid of the Republic and welcomed the formation of the Empire with open arms?”

“I didn’t say to revert it back to how things were before the Empire,” you said, looking at Vader with a pointed look. “I believe there should still be one ruler to make the final decisions but to make it fair and just. Have the Senate as another ruling body that would control such a person by checks and balances. Have two different powers working for the common goal of bringing true peace to the galaxy.”

Vader watched you with his own pointed look. “That sounds like a fancier version of the Republic.”

“It won’t be,” you argued back. “The Chancellor was limited to what he could do until he was granted emergency powers. I’m talking about an Emperor, the person who would have all the power in his hands but still rule with the Senate by his side. A totalitarian government on the outside to prevent more insurgencies of protests and another war but with a more democratic approach to control such a ruler and give back a much needed voice to the planets.”

“You have quite an outlook for politics,” Vader finally responded, narrowing his eyes. “And who would you choose as a new ruler for such a government?”

You looked at Vader, recalling something the newsmen had said over the HoloNet. “I’d say you meet all the criteria to be a new ruler,” you said and earned a scornful expression on Vader’s face.

“I do not have patience nor will to play a game of politics,” he said.

“But you must agree you have all the experience for such a position,” you argued back. “Men respect you, fear you. You’re a well known person. For this to work, it can’t be someone who people have never met or heard of.”

“I’m the last person in the galaxy who should become an Emperor,” Vader said, pushing you away from him. 

“Don’t tell me you’ve never entertained such an idea,” you said, stepping in front of Vader when he tried to bypass you. 

“Yes,  _ once _ , when I thought my own children would rule by my side,” Vader snapped, getting aggravated. “Yet, I lost one due to my own selfish reasons and will refuse to let Leia be manipulated by the Senate.”

“And how do you think she’d feel once she sees that you’ve accepted your position back within the Empire?” you asked, crossing your arms over your chest and giving Vader a look that told him you won’t let him get away without first finishing this conversation. 

“I will deal with it when it comes to it,” Vader tersely replied, mimicking your stance.

“Oh, that’s a  _ lovely _ idea,” you rolled your eyes. “Let’s just wait until everything spins out of control and  _ then _ try to fix things.”

Vader growled, jabbing a gloved finger in your face. “I won’t be reprimanded by the likes of you.”

“You once told me I’m very much like her in regards to our personalities,” you stated, unfazed by his anger. “Can you guess what she’d do once she sees your face on every HoloNet channel once we arrive to Coruscant? I bet you won’t be too happy to see her sneaking on Coruscant amidst all the danger lurking at every corner, the face of the General of the Rebel Alliance flashing throughout the galaxy on every bounty list, dead or alive.”

Vader worked his facial muscles, glaring down at you. “This is exactly  _ why _ I did not want you to come along with me,” he hissed. “It would have been better for the both of us had you stayed with Leia and the rest of your team.”

“Well, you’re stuck with me now,” you answered. 

Another beep interrupted your heated conversation and Vader groaned, before putting on his mask and helmet and answering the call. 

“What?” he snapped and you could almost feel the officer’s nervousness through the other end of the call.

“Apologies, my lord, but the Supreme Leader is requesting to speak with you, immediately.”

Vader hissed. “Tell him I will be with him momentarily,” he answered and disconnected the call. 

“What does he want  _ now _ ?” you asked. 

“Get dressed,” Vader snapped, indicating with his head at your indecency. “And stay here until my return. I do not want any repeats of the previous day to find more of my men salivating over a woman gracing the ship with your presence.”

  
You were about to argue but Vader lifted his hand, silencing you.  “That’s an order,  _ Commander _ .”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter was supposed to have some smut but I took it away, having to rewrite some parts because I figured it was serious enough and didn't need anything else to deter from the main point of this chapter. (And I suck at coming up with original chapter titles). 
> 
> We finally get to see where I'm going with all this (if it all works out) in terms of where I see Vader in the future if and when he defeats Palpatine and eliminates Thrawn/Maul. I see Vader as an ultimate ruler capable of fixing all the mistakes he's witnessed while serving both the Galactic Republic and then later the Empire. He is not as twisted as Palpatine but he is a capable ruler, and I think he can make the galaxy a better place. He sees all the faults within the current Empire. Which is why I included reader's POV on that as well. But first he has to come to terms with himself (he is not yet ready to take on that role and the reader is simply planting some seeds into his mind). 
> 
> Also, despite this being solely a conversation chapter, this is an important one in regards to the reader/Vader evolving relationship (or whatever we call it). We now see they both admitting that this is more than just sex and physical attraction. And it is a culminating point in regards to what will happen in upcoming chapters. 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed it!


	39. Power.

You stayed in Vader’s quarters, now fully dressed, awaiting his return when after a while Vader finally showed up, his aura and presence in the Force dark as he returned from his call with Thrawn. Vader was quite upset, although he tried to hide it by suppressing his emotions. A fool’s errand as he could not hide himself from you in the Force or through your bond with him. You only needed to ask him once as to what happened for Vader to throw himself in a fit of rage and destroy a few things around the room. 

“Thrawn had decided to throw a grand celebration upon my return to Coruscant to bolster the morale of his men and to celebrate the end of the war against the Rebellion,” Vader spat the words out as he paced around the room.

“The bastard wants me to parade around like his puppet and act as though his attempts on my life had no meaning,” he continued, moving like a whirl of black cloud, his emotions barely under control. 

“That’s what you agreed on when you accepted his offer,” you reminded him to which he threw another fit and slammed his fist against the wall.

“You don’t need to remind me every chance you get!” he spat as he whirled around to glare at you through the lenses of his mask.

“Well, perhaps it will remind you of the reasons why we both agreed to this insane plan,” you shrugged, unfazed by his anger. 

“I won’t be able to kill him in a spotlight,” Vader growled. “He has made it so that if he dies the blame will immediately fall on me. He will feed these people lies and turn them against me should he sense any threat.”

“You would have done the same thing,” you replied and Vader stalked across the room and stopped in front of you. 

“You seem not bothered by it at all,” he said, towering over you. “Perhaps, I should also mention that he _specifically_ asked for _you_ to accompany me to the Imperial Center.”

“ _Me_?” you incredulously asked, your face morphing into surprise. “Why me?”

“How should I know?” he spat, and now part of his emotional outburst made sense. You could sense worry radiating off of him. 

“It doesn’t have to mean anything,” you tried to reassure him but mostly yourself. “Perhaps he just wants to meet me.”

“If Palpatine is manipulating Thrawn, it can mean a lot of things,” Vader argued. “Most of which would most likely be an attempt to kill you or place you in harm’s way to gauge my reaction.”

You gaped at Vader, finally feeling anxiety rearing its ugly head in your heart. “That is a far stretch based on assumptions that he knows - “

“He is aware I have feelings for you,” Vader interrupted you, practically yelling through his vocoder which only intensified his deep baritone voice. “I have given that away unaware of his motives until it was too late. We both will be under a scrutinizing watch. Any slight inflection in our feelings or movements towards one another will give Palpatine any means to use you against me.”

You were confused by his words and Vader sensed it. “We will act indifferent towards one another in the presence of others. Even if alone, there’s a chance we will be watched by spies and hidden cameras. I won’t be able to be by your side at all times so I am assigning you your own guard to be with you at all times.”

You frowned. “Who - “

“Piett,” Vader interrupted your question. “He had worked with me for years before the Battle of Endor and I trust the man to keep you safe. He is unlike any other commanding officer, he won’t take advantage of you and will report directly to me.”

You considered Vader’s words, not liking the fact that you’d have to be on guard at all times while pretending that you didn’t feel things for Vader that you weren’t even sure what any of them meant. And add to the growing list of your own anxiety, you won’t be by Vader’s side.

“How much time do we have before we arrive to Coruscant?” you asked, concern written over your face as you digested the new information.

“Less than two standard days,” Vader replied. “We should arrive sometime later tomorrow evening.”

“That doesn’t give us much time to prepare,” you sighed and Vader nodded his head. “And Maul? What should we do if we cross paths with him?”

“Do nothing,” Vader’s words startled you. “Unless he is threatening you, you will not engage him if you happen to cross paths with him while I’m absent. Thrawn will not send his dog to harm you since he knows it won’t do him any favor.”

“Vader, the vision - “ you started, wishing now that it had at least shown you the enemy’s face. You remembered there were two of them. Were they the Inquisitors or was it Maul and someone else?

“You will inform me if you have any more of them,” Vader continued. “As for right now, we are going in the blind. I would suggest you take your lightsabers with you. We have more than one enemy to deal with. Should you happen to be attacked, kill them with no mercy. We will deal with the repercussions later.”

“I’m already on it,” you patted your hidden lightsabers behind your Imperial coat, drawing Vader’s attention to your uniform.

“Have you _never_ worn a uniform?” Vader asked, displeasure written in his voice, as he raised his gloved hand to tug on your collar, adjusting it. “You’ve missed a button and the top is all creased. You have no sense of regard to Imperial protocols.”

“I don’t,” you agreed as you watched Vader unbuttoning your coat, his fingers brushing against your breasts through the fabric of your shirt and you involuntarily shuddered, a low moan escaping your lips. 

“Control yourself,” Vader berated you just as your nipples hardened from your swift arousal, their stiffness visible even through the thick layer of your shirt.

“You were doing that on purpose,” you accused him, your body leaning towards Vader and his hands still on your shirt, looking for some friction. 

“Is that so?” Vader roughly pulled on your shirt, his gloved fingers grazing over your hardened nubs and this time you shamelessly let out a loud moan, leaning yourself against him as your knees felt weak and you felt like collapsing on the floor if it weren’t for Vader holding on to you. 

Another thought entered your mind, the one you refused to dwell on since boarding Vader’s flagship and you looked up through your own haze to stare at Vader’s mask. “Does that mean we won’t be able to do _this_ when we arrive to Coruscant?”

“Do what?” Vader asked, his hands still on your shirt as though he was oblivious to what his movements were doing to your body. 

“You know what,” you hissed, agitated with Vader that he was trying to play a fool. “Any sort of physical _activities_ ,” you clarified, giving Vader a pointed look. 

“That is correct,” Vader replied and you frowned at how calm and collected he sounded. 

“And you’re fine with it?” you asked, confusion overriding your arousal. 

You felt Vader’s gaze on you through his mask, his fingers swiftly leaving your shirt as he buttoned up your coat, making sure to avoid touching your sensitive peaks to your own dismay.

“Don’t look at me like that,” he chided, as he tugged on your belt. “I have told you before, no sex.”

You huffed, annoyance replacing your earlier confusion as you grabbed Vader’s hand. “You also told me you’d be looking for the needed _items_ ,” you reminded him, not ready to drop the subject just yet.

“The items?” Vader repeated, and you weren’t sure if Vader was merely acting like he didn’t know what it was you were talking about, or that he genuinely forgot what he promised you back on Vjun. 

You groaned, rolling your eyes. “To have _protected_ sex,” you ground out, slight blush coloring your cheeks.

Vader paused, watching you as he digested your words. “You think I had the chance to look for such things?” he finally asked, incredulity radiating off of him. “If you weren’t aware, I was occupied with other things. This was the _last_ thing on my mind, which I quite frankly had completely forgotten about.”

So you were right, he had forgotten about it. But if you only had less than two days, this was your only chance to do something with Vader, your body craving his touch and not just his hands. 

“We are _not_ doing this,” Vader announced, perhaps realizing your intent written on your face or reading your fleeting thoughts. 

“Vader - ” you started but he swiftly interrupted you, his annoyance and anger now permeating your own senses through your bond with him. 

“I already told you,” Vader snapped. “It is not safe for us to be having these intercourses until - “

“It might be weeks if not months before we get the chance to do this again,” you sternly reminded him. “Are you willing to wait that long? Or would you rather _improvise_ and do things my way?”

You could have sworn Vader’s breathing changed, his cycle skipping a few even breaths until he growled, pushing you with his hand until your back pressed against the wall, his form towering over you and dominating your senses. 

“Is that a yes?” you smirked, earning another growl from him.

“ _No_ ,” he snapped. “Enough with these futile attempts to get me to accede. If anything, I’m quite astonished to hear such words leaving your mouth. You should know better than try to play with the Force and its visions.”

“And I’m quite surprised to see you so well controlled for a man who had not seen much action in the last two decades,” you replied back, earning another growl from Vader as he gripped your arms in his steeled grip. 

“ _Enough_ ,” he hissed and the Force rang in warnings, your breathing halting as you stared at Vader with wide eyes, his anger now pushing against your shields. It seemed you pressed him past his limits this time. 

“Since we are still breaching this topic,” Vader announced after you failed to come up with an answer to his outburst. “I suggest you get tested in the medical bay before we arrive to Coruscant.”

“Tested?” you asked, frowning. 

“Pregnancy test,” he clarified. “And also get proper measures to ensure you stay protected for any _future_ affairs should it come down to that.”

You watched Vader with a startled expression on your face.

“Do I need to accompany you to do that?” he asked after you once again failed to answer him. “Or can I trust you to handle this endeavor yourself?”

You cleared your throat, finally snapping out of your own stupor. “I can do this myself.”

Vader watched you through the lenses of his mask. “I am assigning one of the stormtroopers to accompany you,” he continued, lessening his hold on you. “I do not want a repeat of what happened last night with the previous Commander. Do I make myself clear?”

You swallowed a lump in your throat, feeling small under his scrutinizing gaze. “Yes, and I’ve told you I can handle myself - “

“For the time being you will be either under my direct supervision or under those I’m assigning to provide adequate protection for you,” he interrupted you, his voice hard and commanding. “I expect a report from you once you’re done at the medbay.”

You scoffed, not happy with how Vader was addressing you. “I told you before, I’m not one of your soldiers that you can talk to me this way - “

“Then you must be forgetting whose ship you are on and who’s your commanding officer, _Commander_ ,” Vader snapped, reminding you once again that he was reinstated as the Supreme Commander of the Imperial Navy and you a mere Commander on _his_ ship as he claimed it to be, rubbing in his title and position to have the right to order you around. You preferred it the other way around when he was just a mere prisoner of the Rebellion and later a fugitive and you holding your own title in the High Command. The roles were reversed and he _knew_ it. 

“ _Fine_ ,” you snapped, pushing yourself off the wall and sidestepping around Vader’s towering form as he watched you. 

You silently promised you’d give Vader hell later on when the chance presented itself. 

___

“All done” the droid informed you as you sat waiting for the results on one of the chairs designated to you after you took your pregnancy test through the draw of your blood. You weren’t going to pretend otherwise, you were very apprehensive to hear the results. “The test came back negative.”

_Oh, thank the Force_ , you sighed in relief, the knot in your stomach all but lessening as you willed your body to relax. 

“What are the chances of it being false negative?” you asked, remembering to ask the questions that you came up in your mind on your way to the medbay. 

“It depends on the day of ovulation,” the droid replied. “The test can detect hormones produced by the placenta as early as six to eight days from ovulation. If it’s any sooner than that, then the result will come back as negative. When was the last day of the intercourse and how long ago had you noticed that you missed your period?” the droid addressed you but you were back to feeling tense, numbly staring at the droid. It was too soon to tell if you were pregnant. 

“I - uh,” you stumbled for words, everything jumbling inside your mind as you tried to piece together your thoughts. “Is there a way to prevent pregnancy?” you asked instead. 

“Are you asking if there’s a way to prevent the chance of you ovulating?” the droid asked and you frowned, trying to understand the question. “There’s a medicine that can be administered that can certainly prevent the chance of pregnancy if taken within 72 hours post intercourse. 

“There is?” you asked, counting off the hours in your head at how much time had passed since you and Vader had sex. You were fairly certain you still fell in the category considered to be within the time frame to take such medicine and for it to work. 

“Then do it,” you said. 

“I’m afraid I’m not authorized to do this,” the droid replied and you frowned again, looking at the medical droid in confusion. 

“What do you mean you are not _authorized_?” you asked. “Why would you tell me of this medicine if you can’t give it to me?”

“I’m afraid I cannot divulge further into this discussion,” the droid replied and you narrowed your eyes. “My programming prevents me from disclosing any information regarding this medicine. I’m afraid it’s against my system to administer this medicine to you.”

“O-kay,” you slowly said, watching the droid and trying to understand everything it just relayed you. “If you can’t give me the medicine, then is there a birth control that I can use?”

“There certainly is,” the droid replied. “I can administer a shot into your system that will be active for at least a month. It will need to be monthly boosted to continue its protection on your productive system.”

“And if I want an implant?” you asked, having at least some knowledge of different birth control systems that the core worlds could provide to ensure a longer time period for protection. 

“I’m afraid I’m not authorized to administer that type of birth control to you,” the droid announced and this time you were fairly certain that something did not add up with what the droid was telling you and the medical protocols to each of its patients. You were fairly certain every patient had their own rights to what treatment they sought out. 

“I don’t understand - “ you started but the droid had already reached for the capsule that had a clear liquid with a thin needle. 

“Please relax your arm,” the droid instructed and before you could protest the droid had injected you with the clear liquid in your upper arm. “You are now protected for a full month,” it informed you and rolled away before you could say anything. 

You glared at the droid as it retreated behind another door, mumbling about rude bedside manners as you straightened out your uniform and exited the medbay. The stormtrooper assigned to you was waiting outside the doors and he silently followed you as you trekked through the hallways of the flagship, looking for Vader’s Force signature. You didn’t have to look for long when you arrived at what looked like a training facility. You excused your ‘guard’, letting him know you were here to see Vader and then you disappeared through a set of sliding doors. 

You found Vader in the middle of the large training facility similar to the one on Vjun, with him still wearing his suit as he battled his droids sequenced for the deadliest maneuvers and effortlessly parrying and counter attacking each of their attacks with his red blade. He sensed your presence and with a flick of his wrist disengaged the droids around him as he straightened out, putting away his lightsaber as he looked at you across the room. 

“Is it done?” he asked as you came up to him. 

“Yes,” you nodded. “I’m not pregnant,” you told him, sensing immediate relief from Vader at hearing your words.

You decided to withhold from him the part of your conversation with the droid about the possibility that the result could have been false negative, a chance that was slim but still possible due to how early it was to tell for sure. It wasn’t something that you felt Vader needed to worry about, especially with other issues he was concerned with. Nor the fact that the droid refused to give you the medicine to prevent the chance of ovulation, which you found odd but decided not to dwell on it. 

“Something on your mind?” Vader asked you, and you realized you’ve been spacing out as he watched you with intense gaze through the lenses of his mask. 

“No,” you shook your head, clearing your thoughts. “I’ve been given a shot that should last a month as the means of birth control,” you told him, hoping it would please him enough to drop the subject. 

“I see,” he responded, still watching you from his spot. 

“Is there something on _your_ mind?” you finally asked when Vader had not said anything else and you started growing uncomfortable from the deafening silence between the two of you save for the hiss of his respirator which you found quite annoying and unnecessary since Vader could now breathe on his own but chose to wear his mask regardless of lack of the presence of others around him. 

“I was simply contemplating,” he finally responded. “It is getting quite difficult to try and read your thoughts.”

You bristled at that. “You shouldn’t be reading them in the first place,” you growled at him. 

“I’m not actively trying to read them,” Vader responded, shrugging his shoulders as though he didn’t find anything wrong with reading someone’s thoughts. “At first It was something that was second-nature to me when I first met you. Your thoughts were like an open book, loud and obnoxious and quite jarring,” he continued and you gave Vader a look that told him to stop right there or else you’d snap at him for insulting you. 

He chuckled at your obvious response to his words, expecting you to be riled up. “I’m simply stating that now it is almost impossible to read them unless I focus hard enough to read your fleeting thoughts. Anything beyond that and past your shields, it is an impenetrable wall that I cannot access. I suppose I should be glad that your shields are strong enough now to withstand someone’s attempt at breaking them.”

“Like Palpatine?” you asked absentmindedly to which Vader unexpectedly stiffened, drawing your curious gaze back to him. 

“Like Palpatine,” he confirmed and your focus shifted past his own mental walls, usually hard and impassable, but now almost a thin wall as you easily slid past, accessing his own inner thoughts and you gasped when suddenly Vader pushed you out, slamming his shields and blocking you out.

“Don’t _ever_ ,” he hissed, his anger sudden and unexpected. “Do that again.”

You stumbled back from the surge of his emotions, your eyes wide as you gaped at him. “I-I’m sorry - I didn’t mean to do that,” you stumbled with your words, trying to come up with a reasonable answer for breaking through his shields. “I don’t know _how_ I did it.”

Vader was silent, watching you from where he stood, trying to reign his emotions under control. “You are getting stronger in the Force,” he finally announced, startling you. “I can sense it and so will Palpatine if he comes across you directly. He _will_ try and coerce you to the Dark Side.”

You almost scoffed at that. “I don’t consider myself strong - “

“Spar with me,” Vader interrupted you as he shifted his stance, the hilt of his lightsaber back in his gloved hand.

“Right _now_?” you asked with a slight panic in your voice. 

“Yes, _now_ ,” Vader snapped and the next thing you knew he was in front of you, a whirl of black, tinted by the red color from his lit lightsaber as he dashed towards you and you side stepped just in time to avoid the strike of his blade where you stood just moments ago.

“Are you _insane_?” you screamed, standing on guard as you clutched the hilts of your own weapons drawn from the inside of your Imperial uniform, watching Vader warily from your spot. 

“You are not going to have the luxury to wait on your opponent,” Vader said instead, once again assaulting you as he brought his blade in an arc with enough force to have you grit your teeth as you pushed back against him. He was not holding back this time. 

“Vader, _what the hell_ \- “ you started but Vader was already swinging his blade in a different direction and you had no choice but to spend all your focus on his fast movements, keeping a close eye on his blade as well as the signature of his Force to gauge his next steps and to prevent him from attacking you through the Force push or other techniques he was known for. 

You successfully avoided each and every one of his strikes, his earlier teachings replaying in your head as you parried and blocked his attacks, managing to land a few of your own strikes against his blade in a whirl of your own fast movements, simultaneously attacking and defending as he’d taught you. 

“Good,” Vader’s voice rumbled as he tried to Force push and kick you at the same time, and you used your own Force to fight off his attack, successfully avoiding at being caught in his Force attack as well as anticipating his movements through your bond with him, your intuitive skills as well as your reflexes becoming much sharper the more you concentrated on the battle. 

“Seems your skills have improved in a short span of time,” Vader said and you were distinctly aware that he was praising you. “But you still lack enough strength to land a strike on me.”

“You keep saying that,” you growled, getting angry with him. “Then what’s the point to all this?”

“For you to stand a chance against _him_ ,” Vader yelled back, his earlier anger returning but not for the reasons of you breaking through his shields. Something else was bothering Vader, something that you felt he was hiding from you, only confirming your suspicions just earlier when you managed to get inside Vader’s mind and get a glimpse into his most inner thoughts albeit for mere seconds. But it was enough to know that Vader was _terrified_. 

“Vader, you’re not making any sense right now,” you tried to reach him again, trying to talk to him while he maniacally tried to slash at you again. “What is happening? Why are you - “

Vader made a startling noise, something akin to a cry mixed with growl, his movements becoming more sporadic and violent as he continued his heavy assaults with his blade. You growled at him, becoming fed up with his unexplained mood swing, him almost becoming _mad_ as you swung your left blade outwards and then changed its direction in mid-air, slashing at Vader’s midsection. He was able to sidestep out of the way but not in time for the tip of the blade to graze his side, in turn making Vader slash with his own blade in your direction too fast for you to see as he brought it down in a killing move.

You watched in slow motion as Vader tried to stop his hand, realizing too late that he wasn’t going to manage it on time and then your mind blanked, your world exploding, your emotions and energy pulsating around you and with a startling scream you shoved all of your power against him, the Force swirling in wild tendrils as you Force pushed Vader away from you with enough power to have him slam against the far wall of the training grounds, leaving a large dent in it as he groaned from pain. 

You collapsed on the floor, too exhausted to try and support yourself as you watched with wide eyes at the destruction all around you, the whole training facility destroyed as though something exploded in the middle of it. Your eyes landed on Vader’s crumbled form, his lightsaber thrown away from his figure as he struggled to get up, his suit and mask damaged from whatever it was you used against him. You had never felt such power coursing through you before and quite frankly you were terrified of it as you watched Vader finally manage to get up. His respirator was damaged, its wheezing noise the only sound in the room as you continued to stare at one another. 

You never imagined that the promise you made just a few hours earlier that you’d give Vader hell for making your own life miserable would come so soon and so unexpectedly in the most unorthodox way of unleashing the power you didn’t know you even possessed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is the chapter I had rewritten from beginning to end and the next one after that (fun times). There was supposed be different outcomes (I won't mention them) and less angst but I didn't feel it was the right way to progress the story. Lots of Easter eggs here as well :p
> 
> I will keep my mouth shut this time and let you all deduce what's happening to Vader and reader. Hope you enjoyed it!


	40. Heartbreak.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thought I'd give you a fair warning that this chapter consists of some dark themes involving strangulation, possession, dominance and heartbreak (thus the name of the chapter). I apologize in advance...

If somebody were to tell you you’d be running through the corridors of Vader’s personal Star Destroyer mere a day later after boarding the _Executor_ , your senses overridden by a sheer panic as you tried to place some distance between you and Darth Vader himself, who was at the moment gaining speed and chasing after you as you madly dashed from hallway to hallway of the ship, you’d probably laughed in their face and told them that was very unlikely if almost impossible. Darth Vader never chased, he _hunted_ and you never thought you’d be on the receiving end of it. Your heart wildly beat in your chest, the pulse madly throbbing on the side of your neck as your lungs screamed for air, yet your body refused to stop, sprinting across the many hallways, dashing past many confused stormtroopers and officers but you paid no mind to them. Your goal was to _escape_. 

_Stop!_ Vader’s voice was loud in your head and you winced from its intensity, refusing to yield. If anything, his command gave you more speed, your fear pulsing around you and you were fairly certain even Vader could taste it on his tongue. 

You rounded another corner, the area familiar to you as you neared towards the hangar bay and towards your escape but before you could make another step, a hand roughly grabbed you by your elbow, twisting you around so fast that you wobbled on your feet and gasped from pain when you collided with the wall. 

“Running, _again_?” a male voice hissed and you didn’t have to look at the face to know you had the misfortune of running into Captain Thule again. “I thought I had made myself quite clear just yesterday about such childish behavior,” the man hissed, digging his fingers into your elbow. 

“Get your filthy hands off of me,” you hissed, glaring at the older man as you struggled against his grip.

The look on the Captain’s face told you he was less than pleased with your answer. If anything, it seemed you had angered him more as he grabbed you by the collar of your uniform and then slammed your back against the wall with more force than necessary. 

“I don’t care if you’re a higher rank than me,” he growled, his breath hot against your face and you wanted to spit in his face. “But I won’t tolerate such disrespect from anyone, and certainly not a _woman_.”

You gasped when one of his legs sneaked between your own, his knee coming up and pressing against your groin area and you hissed from discomfort and utter disbelief at being handled this way out in the public, the sheer panic you felt completely overriding your other senses, rendering you useless against the man’s unwelcomed assault. 

“Soon you will know your place,” the man continued, his greasy face near inches away from yours. “You will beg for me as I stuff my fat cock inside of you as I repeatedly fuck you until you’re so brainwashed you won’t even be able to function unless you’re screaming my name while I’m filling you up with my load.”

You gaped at the man in absolute disbelief, your eyes wide as your brain processed his words. A dark and threatening aura emitted from somewhere behind the Captain, your view obstructed by the man’s body but you didn’t need to see to know Vader had finally caught up to you and heard every single word the man had said to you. Your senses were overwhelmed by sheer hate and anger, almost making you choke on the intensity with which Vader projected his emotions. 

“That is the most heated speech I’ve ever heard you utter, _Captain_ ,” Vader’s harsh voice was right behind the man and the Captain blanched, his eyes wide looking down at you in fear. “It is quite _unfortunate_ that your talent is wasted on things that do not benefit the Empire. If only you were as engrossed in your work as you do in your leisure time pleasuring yourself.”

Captain Thule was roughly yanked back away from you with such force that his feet were lifted off the ground, the man screaming out with a high pitched wail as his body collided with the opposite wall. 

“I do _not_ tolerate such behavior amidst my own men,” Vader growled, his focus on the Captain sprawled on the ground. “You will be the first one to witness the ramifications of such actions and I will _personally_ oversee your reconditioning,” Vader said, the obvious threat hung clear in the air. Vader was going to kill the man. 

“M-My Lord, I-I m-must a-apologize,” the man stuttered. “It was n-never m-my intention - “

“ _Silence_ ,” Vader roared, and you could have sworn the walls were shaking from Vader’s unleashed anger, the lights flickering above your heads from the unseen power. 

“Arrest him,” Vader barked to the stormtroopers that were unfortunate to be present around you in the moment of Vader’s obvious loss of control. “I will deal with him later.”

The troopers immediately complied, fear radiating off of them as they hastily picked up the Captain who was quietly wailing in his own misery and fear at what his fate would be at the hands of Darth Vader. The scene was cleared in seconds and now you were left alone with Vader, your own fear clouding your judgment as you tried to run off away from him, only to be stopped by the invisible grip holding on to you. 

“ _Enough_ ,” Vader hissed, his unseen glare on you as he stalked towards you. “You will stop these foolish attempts at trying to escape,” he growled as he grabbed you by your upper arm and started to drag you behind him the way you had come from.

“ _Don’t touch me_ ,” you hissed, fighting him along the way, earning curious glances all around you to which Vader paid no mind until you purposely stepped on his polished boots with a stomp of your own foot, finally catching Vader’s attention as he spun to glare at you. 

“Release me - “ you started but then yelped when suddenly Vader pushed you into one of the rooms behind you, the doors closing with a swish as it enclosed both you and Vader into a small space that looked like an unused office room. 

Vader had released your arm by then and you hastily placed a safe distance between the two of you that the room had allowed, reaching for your lightsabers in case you had to fight your way out. Unfortunately for you, your pathway was blocked by a menacing figure of Vader standing by the door, his glare still on you behind his mask, his stance conveying his own barely controlled emotions as he clenched and unclenched his gloved fists. 

“You are testing my patience with you,” he finally said after a long moment of silence when the only sound was the broken hiss of his respirator that you managed to damage in your Force push against him. 

“Is that what happened when you tried to kill me?” you snapped back, your own glare on him. “You had run out of your patience with me,” you copied his voice, practically hissing at him. 

“I _never_ intended for that to happen,” Vader’s voice raised a notch to your jab. “I admit I lost control - “

“Is that the best you can do?” you scoffed, rolling your eyes and then started laughing. “I can’t believe I _trusted_ you.”

Vader bristled. “This has nothing to do with trust,” he started. “I told you that in real battle you won’t have the luxuries of telling your foes to stop while you’re fighting for your own life.”

“Is that how you train all of your apprentices?” you scornfully asked. “Perhaps you kill them before they even get the chance to fight in real battles, expecting them to match your own strength when you place the bar too high to reach. Perhaps that’s what happened to your _other_ apprentice. You lost your control and then _killed_ her.”

Something dark and menacing had overtaken Vader when he snapped upon hearing your words and you knew you crossed the line when you felt pressure on your own neck, your eyes wide when you realized with horror Vader was choking you, his control slipping once more. You gasped for breath, your heart breaking in small pieces, watching Vader through the sheen of your unshed tears as he continued to strangle you. The memory of his own wife resurfaced in your mind as Vader choked her for believing she betrayed him, your own pain and fear now echoing his wife’s own feelings in her last moments before she lost consciousness. Perhaps that was the only thing that snapped Vader from his madness when you heard a startling rasp from his form, him releasing his hold on your neck as you collapsed on the floor. 

You were gasping for breath, coughing and trying to control the flow of your tears, your body shaking from either adrenaline or fear or something else, you weren’t sure. You couldn’t even place your own emotions, your mind refusing to believe that Vader had actually laid his hands on you and tried to kill you for the second time in the span of less than an hour, even if he refused to acknowledge that the first time was a slip of his own control. The deed had already been done. Your throat burned, your lungs ached and you tried to focus on evening out your breathing to try and stabilize yourself enough to stand up. 

The noise up above startled you and you raised your head in time to see Vader collapsing on his knees, his mind wide open for you to see, his pain and guilt raw as they slammed against your fragile shields and you gasped for breath, wincing from the pain such action inflicted on your damaged throat. 

“ _I’m so sorry_ ,” Vader’s broken voice came out garbled through his mask. “[Y/N], I’m _sorry_ . I-I didn’t mean to - I lost control - _please forgive me_ \- “ 

You numbly stared at Vader’s kneeling figure, his words registering in your mind but not their meaning and yet the only thing you could think of are the three words repeating over and over in your shattered mind. _He choked me - he choked me - he choked me -_

A quiet sob escaped you as you continued to tremble, your tears refusing to stop as you gasped for more breaths. 

“Please say something,” Vader continued and when you refused to answer he made another starling noise before swiftly removing his helmet and mask, his own anguished face now staring at you. 

“I never meant to hurt you,” he said in his own voice laced with the pain you felt radiating off of him in waves. “I promised you I’d protect you,” he continued, his own breaths harsh in the silence of the room. “And I _failed_ \- “

You finally managed to regain your breathing, your tears subsiding enough to give you a clear view of the scene in front of you. You were startled to find Vader’s face streaked with his own tears as he stared at you across the room, pain evident in his blue eyes. You tried to stand up but the moment you did so your body gave out under your weak knees, which prompted Vader to instantly react and try to reach for you as you collapsed back on the floor from sheer exhaustion. 

“ _Don't touch me_ ,” you hoarsely screamed, your own fear echoing the fear in his eyes when he tried to grab you, his hands stopping mid air at your words. “Don’t come anywhere near me,” you continued in a shaky voice. 

“ _Please_ ,” Vader begged. “Please let me - “

You shook your head. “ _Get away from me_.”

“[Y/N],” Vader tried again, his own voice laced with thick tears he tried to control. “ _I’m sorry_. Please don’t - “

“ _Don’t_ ,” you hoarsely whispered, your own strength failing even so much as to scream. You tried to raise yourself again, using your arms to lean yourself against the wall, trying to support your body from collapsing again as you wearily watched Vader still kneeling on the floor. If he’d snapped again you didn’t think you’d have strength to defend yourself. And you weren’t quite sure yet how you managed to survive his first attack on you in the training room, your powers all but receding and leaving you feeling empty and numb, as though you’d exhausted all of your strength on that one Force push. Add to the fact that you tried to run off away from him when you realized what you’ve done, expecting Vader to snap at you for hurting him in an unexpected way and then getting choked from provoking him and angering him to the point that he lost his own control for the second time had made you painfully aware that you were spent and were ready to collapse from exhaustion at any moment. You only hoped you wouldn’t lose your consciousness in his presence. 

“Let me help you,” Vader’s voice sounded distant and you shook your head, clearing away the blackness that was forming at the corners of your eyes, which only made your head and neck hurt even more. “Let me take you to the medbay.”

By that point Vader had raised himself from the floor and you weren’t even sure when he did so when you were intently watching him this whole time. You must have blacked out for a few seconds. 

“I can manage on my own,” you hoarsely whispered, taking slow agonizing steps in the direction to the door. Vader’s figure loomed in front of you and you flinched, losing your balance once again and you would have fallen if it wasn’t for Vader catching you in his arms. You would have screamed again if it wasn’t for the fact that your throat was burning and your consciousness finally ebbing away, darkness overtaking you and you willed your body to finally succumb to the exhaustion. 

___

When you finally regained consciousness you were met with a familiar darkness of Vader’s own personal bedroom, the smell of him and the feel of the sheets confirming your fears that you were indeed where you thought you were. Your heart sank when you realized your position, now trapped inside his own quarters. If he were to try and kill you again, there was no chance of escaping him this time, no one to hear your screams. Your fear had overtaken you to the point of you starting to hyperventilate until you heard someone moving around you and you froze, feeling your body starting to shake. The room was suddenly lit by a soft and dim glow instead of a harsh blind light and then your eyes landed on Vader, unmasked and suitless as he stared at you across the room. 

You scrambled from your lying position, your hands immediately seeking your lightsabers until you realized with horror that you were stripped from the outer layer of your uniform, along with your weapons. That caught Vader’s attention and he sighed. 

“I’m not going to hurt you,” he slowly started, keeping a respective distance away from you. “You don’t need to fear me.”

You refused to answer, your gaze boring into Vader, your body tense from adrenaline and fear pumping inside your veins. 

“I brought you here in hopes that we can talk about what happened,” he continued, his voice even. “I couldn’t risk bringing you to your own cabin and certainly not leaving you in the medbay. This was the safest place I could think of.”

You swallowed, still refusing to answer him until you realized with a start that your throat no longer burned, your neck feeling as though you weren’t just recently strangled by Vader’s invisible grip and your hands flew to your skin, feeling only a smooth and velvety surface under your fingertips. 

“I healed you,” Vader quietly admitted. “It was the least I could do after - “ he trailed off, swallowing a lump in his own throat. 

You shakily took a breath of air, still keeping silent and watching Vader with apprehension in your eyes. 

“Please say something,” Vader’s voice once again took that pleading tone, his anguish still palpable through your bond with him. “Anything - “

“I want to leave,” you finally said, your voice quiet, testing out your vocal cords.

“I can’t let you leave,” Vader said before shaking his head, running his metal fingers through his hair that has gotten even longer, its ends now curling slightly.

Your heart sank at his words, your fear once again taking control over your body. Vader felt your fear, his face twisting into angry scowl directed at himself. 

“Please don’t fear me,” he quietly pleaded. “Anything _but_ that.”

But it was already too late for that. You feared him, your heart wildly beating inside your chest. You’d never feared him before, cautious yes, when you first met him, keeping all the rumors of him in the back of your head. Respectful enough but still authoritative as you considered him to be a prisoner, keeping your distance but approaching him when the time urged for you to do so back on Tatooine when you both had to escape clutches of the Empire. You felt anger and hate when the Force had shown you visions of him choking his own wife but never fear to the extent which you were feeling now. Time and time again you were reminded what a _monster_ he was, yet now the word was seared inside your mind and heart, and you truly witnessed what he was. Even if the bruises on the outside were healed by his hand, he couldn’t heal the damage that was done to your own heart. You felt betrayal and hurt and agonizing heartache from experiencing first hand what Vader could do to the person he claimed he cared for and wanted to protect. You were foolish to think that he’d changed, foolish to forget what he did to his own pregnant wife, living in your own fantasy and thinking things would be different between you two. 

“I wanted you to be strong,” Vader started after a while of uncomfortable silence between you two. “I wanted to see what you were capable of before stepping a foot on Coruscant. I wanted to measure your skills, to see if you truly were ready enough to face someone like Maul, or even Palpatine. I - “

He paused, drawing a shaky breath. “You surpassed all my expectations on that. I didn’t account for you to possess such power in the first place. I would have stopped that strike, I truly thought I had it under control,” Vader continued, recalling the moment he almost killed you with his own blade and your response to him by throwing him against the wall. 

“And then you ran off and I was _confused_ ,” Vader continued. “I felt your fear and I didn’t understand _why_. Did you think I’d be angry with you for defending yourself, for managing to land a blow on me?”

You scoffed, angrily glaring at Vader. “ _Why_ ? Maybe it’s the fact that you charged at me for no reason and then tried to _kill_ me?”

“I told you that was never my intention,” Vader argued back. 

“That's not what it looked like to me,” you snapped back. “I trusted you with your words to keep me safe, yet I found myself on the receiving end of your blade.”

“And that promise still stands,” Vader replied. “I _will_ keep you safe, you don’t need to fear - “

“Vader, do you really think everything will still be the same after what you’ve done?” you asked with pain laced in your voice. “Do you really think I’d let you near me, let alone touch me after you choked me?”

“I lost control,” Vader snapped, anger now replacing his earlier anguish. “I admit that. Had you not provoked me with your words - “

“So it’s _my_ fault?” you quietly asked with incredulity, refusing to believe what he was saying. “Because I said something that you did not like?”

“That’s - “ he stumbled for words. “It doesn’t matter.”

You watched Vader with wide eyes, his words hurting you like knives slicing through your flesh. “You don’t find anything wrong with what you did?”

“I already apologized,” Vader yelled. “What else do you want me to say? I regret doing that to you but I can’t take it back. I can’t change what happened - “

The more he talked, the more your world shattered, your heart breaking from intense pain. Vader refused to see what he’d done had caused irreparable damage. He failed to see that he did something that should have never been done to someone he vowed to protect. That you _hurt_ , both physically and mentally, that the person you cared about, the person you trusted more than anything had done this to you. 

“This isn’t going to work,” you interrupted his tirade with your quiet voice. “I can’t do this.”

“Do what?” Vader asked, confusion written over his pained face. 

“This,” you pointed between you and Vader. “Whatever this is, be it a relationship or something else, this can’t continue on.”

“This doesn’t have to change anything,” Vader argued, stepping closer to you to which you visibly tensed, making him pause. 

“But it already did,” you replied with sorrow. “I think it would be best if we stop.”

Vader looked at you with an unreadable expression on his face. “You can’t be serious.”

“I am,” you replied, slowly moving to the edge of the bed. “This was a mistake to begin with. We should have never - “

“You are the one who had begged me to sleep with you,” Vader roared, making you flinch and pause, your eyes looking at Vader’s enraged face. “You did this to me! You’re the one that made me feel things, made me _fall in love with you_ and now you’re breaking things off?!”

You sharply inhaled, watching Vader with wide eyes as he took harsh breaths, his eyes turning gold in his anger that was directly solely at you. 

“This isn’t love,” you cried out, flinching when Vader moved to stand in front of you.

“How would you know how I feel?” he snarled. “You have never been in love like I have. You don’t know what I went through. You don’t know - “

“You wouldn’t choke someone if you loved them,” you interrupted him, hiding your fear of Vader behind false pretense of calm. “This isn’t how people show their feelings towards one another.”

“I won’t let you go,” Vader snarled, making you gasp when he grabbed your arms in his hold. 

“You’re scaring me,” you cried out, trying to get your arms free from his steeled grip. “Vader, please - “

“You’re _mine_ ,” he hissed, making you gasp as his fingers dug into your flesh. 

“I’m not _yours_ ,” you screamed back. “I was never yours to begin with. Vader, stop this, you’re hurting me.”

Vader snarled, his anger overwhelming your senses, your own fear of him making you cry out. This deranged man in front of you was not the man you had started to like, started to care for as you’ve gotten to know him. This was Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith, standing in front of you, consumed by the Dark Side of the Force. All sensibility had left him, replaced with his selfish desires to possess you, to dominate you, to subjugate you to his own whims. This was the glimpse of the man you witnessed in your vision on Mustafar, now amplified ten folds and directed at you. One wrong move and he could snap again and do far worse things than try to strangle you. You were thoroughly terrified of him. 

So the only thing you could do was to break through his own haze, breaking through his shields as you did earlier, now concentrating all of your focus on that one small task. You managed to slip through his thick walls, managed to startle him enough to flud his deranged mind with your feelings towards him, showing him your own view of him in hopes that he’d snap out of this state. And it worked, Vader’s own shock and agony ricocheting over you, making you gasp and cry out as the floodgate of his emotions and memories overwhelmed you. You saw _everything_. 

All of his past memories before your faithful meeting with him back on Tritus. You saw him as a child, his boyish face framed by an anguish of leaving his mother back on Tatooine when the Jedi had taken him from home, leaving behind the only person he truly and unconditionally loved. You saw his memories of the Jedi Temple, the Jedi scorning him and patronizing him for being too old, too emotional, too reckless to be a Jedi. You saw him much older, finally meeting the Senator that he’d fallen in love with all those years ago, his feelings loud and clear towards the other woman as he tried to protect her. You felt his anguish, hurt, pain, and rage at seeing his mother’s death in his own hands, and then complete destruction as he massacred everyone at the village, be it a child, a woman, and old or weak. You saw the small ceremony on Naboo when he’d married the Senator, his years of battling during the Clone Wars, his growing disapproval of the Council and their ways of handling the war. His elation and happiness at finding out he was going to be a father and then fear and desperation when the visions started of his wife dying and the Council’s way of dismissing them, telling him to _let go_. His fall to the Dark Side, more massacres as he slaughtered every single Jedi, including the younglings and then his ultimate fall when he was defeated by his former master, burning in agony at the edge of black rocks and rivers of lava on Mustafar. 

Everything blurred together, the memories flying by too fast for you to see, his years serving Palpatine blending together in one dark massive hole, Vader consumed by the Dark Side until he learned of his son’s survival and ultimately of the lies Palpatine fed him for the past two decades. How Vader fought to capture his son, then elated that Luke had come to him on his own, believing this was a sign that Luke would take Vader’s side and help him destroy Palpatine. You felt Vader’s heartbreak at watching his son lying dead in his hands, the emotions so strong that you inadvertently started to cry at feeling Vader’s own pain. His decision to surrender himself in order to protect his other child, Leia, and then years of being locked away in prison, his own memories of his deeds torturing him in the silence of four walls. 

And then you saw yourself through his own memory, first time meeting Vader when you came to retrieve him from the prison. You didn’t realize that Vader’s focus was swiftly consumed by the thoughts of you, albeit his initial response to your presence was anything but pleasant. The more you spent time with him, the more you wormed yourself under his skin, until his indifference turned into curiosity, and then later into concern that he refused to acknowledge until it was too late. By the time Vader placed his own feelings, he already cared too deeply for you, which by then turned into a warm feeling you could only label as _love_. Yet that feeling was twisted by the Dark Side, his desperation to save you forced him to want to possess you, his jealousy and anger clouding his judgment. 

You saw another memory, the one in the shower and the catalyst of emotions associated with it. Yet when you tried to look closer, tried to see why Vader so desperately fought to cover that memory from your seeking eyes, tried to cover up his own fear and desperation as he wrestled with you to gain control of his mind, he managed to force you out from his head, his breaths harsh as your own as you stared at one another in disbelief and silence. 

“ _What was that?_ ” you finally managed to ask, finding your voice. “What are you hiding from me?”

Vader’s shocked expression was your only answer, his eyes wide as he stared at you speechless. 

“Vader, what - “

“You shouldn’t have been able to do that,” he whispered, his confusion and fear palpable through your link with him. “No one had ever broken through my mind like you did. That’s _impossible_ , not with your level of skills, not even Palpatine - “ he trailed off, something crossing his features and then he swiftly released you from his grip, stumbling away from you. 

You should have been relieved he finally released you, that he had come back as him and not as that terrified presence he was just moments ago, yet you were concerned at his reaction.

“Vader, what was that memory?” you tried again, careful with your choice of words. You watched as Vader stiffened, his face hardening as he switched his gaze from your face to the floor. 

“It doesn’t matter now,” he ground out. “Nothing matters now. You were right, we should have _never_ started this in the first place.”

Now it was your turn to be confused as you furrowed your eyebrows. “So what you’re saying is that - “

“I agree,” he interrupted you. “We should break this off, whatever this is.”

You were silent, watching Vader where he stood, his body stiff, his hands curled into fists, his gaze still averted from yours. You wanted this, you reminded yourself. Yet something inside of you was numb and you couldn’t place what that feeling was. 

“Right,” you nodded your head, taking a small shaky breath. “This is for the best.”

“It is,” Vader agreed, his voice tight. “I suppose it won’t matter to you that I truly am sorry for what happened. I never meant to hurt you - “

“I know,” you interrupted him. “But you are right, it doesn’t matter and it doesn’t change the fact that it happened.”

Vader’s face muscles twitched, his jaw locking as he nodded his head and then swiftly left the room, leaving you behind to ponder what you felt was the last time Vader would willingly approach you, or talk to you, or let you feel him through the Force. You knew this was for the best, that this was what you originally wanted when you asked him to let you go, yet part of you, the one you refused to acknowledge until now _hurt_ for different reasons than when Vader choked the life out of you. You didn’t realize until now, until after Vader left and you both decided to break things off, that you _loved_ him back. 

**End of Part Three**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was not how this chapter was going to go when I originally wrote it and then spent days afterwards rewriting the whole thing. It was supposed to end with some fluff and warmth, with them talking things through etc... and then I was like 'nope, not gonna cut it' and scratched the whole thing. Here's the reason why and I'm addressing the elephant in the room.
> 
> Vader. He's simply a very unstable man. The relationship between these two is unhealthy, borderline toxic. You've witnessed that when he decided to erase the reader's memory. His possessive nature and dominance may be hot to you, but in real life it's just scary. I wanted to show that ugly side of him to the reader in this chapter, because at some point it was bound to happen. If he did it to his own wife then the chance of him doing it to the reader would be even higher. It won't be real to just let him learn from his own mistakes because he never does (that's just his nature) and I wanted the reader to witness that, to taste the horrible truth and to feel it on her own body when he choked her by losing his control. Because let's admit it, Vader doesn't realize what he's done is plain wrong and sick. 
> 
> He thinks by loving her he has the right to dominate her, his own feelings clouding his judgment. Yes, he admits that he loves her, but it's not how normal people convey their feelings. I hope I portrayed that point clear enough in this chapter. I had rewritten this chapter so many times I don't even know if it's good anymore. Once again, I apologize at how dark this chapter turned out but in order to progress the story it was ought to happen and I'm happy with the results. 
> 
> P.S. please be gentle ~ (don't throw tomatoes my way)


	41. Deja Vu.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made the same disclaimer on the first chapter but also wanted to put this here... It had come to my attention from one reader that I was not using the **reader-insert** tag the way it should be, meaning I was including my character's description of her hair, eyes, color of her skin and etc... and I apologize for that. Most of you should know this story was supposed to be a third-person story so when I originally started writing it I already had a clear description of what this OC was going to look like and then I changed it to a second-reader story. So instead of rewriting all the chapters, I decided to remove the reader-insert tag and leave the story as it is. So I apologize if I've made some of you upset over how I described the reader. She can by any means be whatever you make her be but I see her in my own way and that's just how it's going to be for the rest of the story. Once again, I'm sorry and with that in mind here's the next part in the series. Enjoy ~

“The shuttle will be ready in a few minutes, Lord Vader,” one of the officers announced when he approached Vader on the bridge. You stood by Vader’s side at a safe distance away from him, overlooking the view of Coruscant through the viewport of the _Executor_ hovering above the planet’s atmosphere. Piett was next to you, giving some orders in the process of disembarkment as you awaited the signal to head out to the hangar bay of the flagship and board the shuttle that would take you and Vader, along with Piett and stormtroopers to the Imperial Center where Thrawn was awaiting your arrival. 

“Very well,” Vader said, his baritone voice carrying across the bridge as he stood with his hands crossed over his chest box, his suit repaired over the span of the last day and a half as Vader worked on it to patch up the damage you caused with your Force push. 

Your own clothing was changed, you were given a new set of Commander’s uniform under Vader’s orders to hide the state your other uniform was in after your battle with Vader which led to the unfortunate events that transpired between the two of you that had made you both to come to the same conclusion that you were better off breaking whatever it was that was happening between you two in the span of the last few weeks. 

Vader had avoided you after he abruptly left his own room, and you were glad to have some reprieve from him, although part of you, the one you shoved in the back of your mind covered by many shields to prevent Vader from ever discovering it, was already missing your bickering with each other, his dry sense of humor, his comfort and most of all his presence around you. He had blocked you off, cut your connection to him and you couldn’t even feel him in the Force. He had shut himself off any way possible to prevent you from glimpsing inside his own turbulent mind. 

He had kept his word about your protection, assigning Piett to your side to act as your guard, along with some of the stormtroopers that would be escorting you to the Imperial Center. It was quite clear, without him saying anything, that he was not planning on being anywhere near you once you all landed on Coruscant. If it wasn’t for Thrawn’s direct order of you needing to be present with Vader, you would have most likely already left the _Executor_ and Vader behind and headed towards the location where Leia Organa and Han Solo were hiding, along with the rest of your crew. You no longer felt your presence around Vader was welcomed, and your promise to keep him safe no longer applied in your current predicament. You hunched your shoulders, watching the planet below you, your mind elsewhere and lost in your own thoughts. 

“My lord, the shuttle is ready for you,” Piett announced, breaking your deep concentration and you looked up startled to see that Vader was watching you. 

You felt a brief sweep of your mind, your link with Vader buzzing to life but it ended just as swiftly as it began and you were once again basked in loneliness and emptiness that had nothing to do with Vader cutting off your connection to him. You knew where that feeling was coming from but you refused to dwell on it. You couldn’t lose your concentration now when you were about to meet with your enemy. 

Vader swiftly rounded on his heels and wordlessly headed in the direction of the hangar bay with you and Piett following behind. You silently boarded the shuttle and then less than thirty minutes later were landing in the designated spot right in front of the Imperial Center where rows of stormtroopers were already lined up and waiting for your arrival. You could not see Thrawn amidst the welcoming party but what drew your attention was a figure clad in black, standing at the forefront of the troops and your heart skipped a beat. The same malevolent aura you felt back on the _Executor_ when the _Avenger_ had arrived. Darth Maul was here to personally greet you. 

You briefly looked up at Vader in worry, watching his back, unable to decipher his own feelings and emotions on the matter. You wished now more than ever that you could at least still feel him through the Force and gauge his reaction. You were worried, not just for your own sake but for the sake of Vader. The last time he’d been on Coruscant was in the presence of Palpatine. This was most likely the last place Vader wanted to be in at the moment. You watched as the ramp of the shuttle lowered down you saw Maul standing with his hands crossed at the foot of it. 

“What a welcome surprise,” Maul hissed, drawing Vader’s attention to the Zabrak male. 

“I wouldn’t say the same,” Vader snapped and the tension could have been cut with a knife as the two stared at each other, or rather _glaring_. 

“The Supreme Leader had been expecting you,” Maul finally said, breaking the deadly stare as his eyes moved past Vader, circling around the troopers and Piett until they landed on you, standing behind and off to the side of Vader who had refused to move from his spot. 

“My, my, my, if this isn’t [Y/N],” Maul addressed you and you focused him with your own glare, daring the Sith to do any more of his wicked tricks with the Force. You had not forgiven him for his attempt at choking you to death, although that seemed to be something both of the Sith now shared in common. 

“I’m sure we are past the hostility towards one another,” Maul continued, smiling with a chilling expression on his face. “After all, we are now on the _same_ side, aren’t we?”

Vader finally shifted and then without any preamble marched down the ramp and past the other Sith, refusing to acknowledge him. You exchanged a brief glance with Piett and then followed Vader behind, with Piett leading the way and the stormtroopers behind you. You barely walked down the length of the ramp when suddenly Maul was in front of you, blocking your path as he towered over you. 

“I would be careful if I were you,” he softly hissed and you shuddered, looking into his sickly yellow eyes rimmed by red circles. 

“Thank you for the warning,” you replied, making sure Maul knew you were being overly sarcastic with your reply. 

You were dimly aware that Vader had stopped his movements, now looking behind him at the two of you, his hand reaching for the hilt of his saber. But before he could do even so much as to grab it, Maul had already backed away from you, giving you that chilling smile. 

“I think we’ll find each other a rather good company,” he said, giving you a pointed look to which you frowned, confused by his meaning. Maul did not elaborate anymore on the matter and then swiftly turned around and walked past Vader who was glaring at the Zabrak male.

“We do not want to have the Supreme Leader waiting,” he had said, before disappearing behind the doors of the Imperial Center with Vader marching in behind him. You made to move with Piett behind you when some of the stormtroopers that were waiting with Maul had blocked off Piett from advancing any further. 

“What is the meaning of this?” Piett calmly asked and you turned around to take in the scene before you.

“We have specific orders to only let this woman and Lord Vader in, sir,” one of the troopers answered and you frowned. 

“I see,” Piett replied before giving you a nod of his head. “I will be waiting for yours and Lord Vader’s arrival then.” 

You hesitantly nodded back and then followed in through the doors of the Center, the troopers guiding you until you were brought before a set of double doors behind which you knew was the Imperial Throne Room. You were ushered in, the doors closing behind you with a thud and then you were met with a sight of Thrawn standing with his back turned towards you, overlooking the view of Coruscant through the large window, with Vader standing at the foot of the stairs, glaring at the Chiss male as Maul stood off to the side of Thrawn, giving Vader a glare of his own. 

“I see everyone had assembled,” Thrawn finally said, his words slow and measured as he turned around from the window to give Vader a quick look before his red eyes settled on you. 

“I trust your journey was uneventful?” he asked, his gaze still boring into yours, making you quite uncomfortable from his intensity. 

“It was adequate,” Vader snapped through his vocoder, conveying his anger through his words. 

“Is that so?” Thrawn asked, switching his gaze to look down at Vader. “Yet I read the reports that you managed to kill two of the officers aboard the _Executor_ in the span of only a day being back on board. I thought I made it quite clear that such barbaric ways were no longer necessary.”

So, Thrawn's words confirmed what you already suspected. Vader killed the Captain as well. 

“They are _my_ men,” Vader snapped. ”I will not tolerate disobedience and misbehavior on my own ship, regardless of what you’ve told me.”

“ _Your_ men?” Thrawn asked, raising his perfect eyebrows at Vader’s retort. “I was under the impression you understood your position and your role within the Empire when I asked for your return. Regardless of what it seems like on the outside, _you answer to me_ , Lord Vader. And you _will_ obey my direct orders.”

Vader shifted, his body locking up as he reached for his saber. 

“I would think twice about doing anything reckless,” Thrawn’s voice cut through the silence of the room. “Your life is not the only thing that would be affected should you choose to attack me right now.”

Vader paused his hand, a low growl escaping his mask as he stilled, glaring at the Chiss. 

“A wise choice,” Thrawn nodded and then focused his gaze back on you, still standing by the door as he went down the steps and towards you. You immediately stiffened, watching him with a wearily look in your eyes. 

“I must admit,” Thrawn started, coming up to you, his height towering over your small form and you briefly noted he was the same height as Vader. “I do regret how our previous meeting had transpired,” he finished, his gaze sweeping over your face. 

You remained silent, unsure of what to say to that. You were spared of awkward silence as Thrawn continued. “The reports were true,” he drawled and you flinched when his hand reached for your face, his fingers ghosting over your skin. “You are quite beautiful.”

You gaped at the man in front of you, your eyes wide as you stared at him, refusing to believe you heard his words correctly. 

“I can see why Lord Vader would be so interested in you,” he continued and you instantly felt cold, shivers running down your spine. “You do look so very much alike as his dead wife - “

“That’s _enough_ ,” Vader roared, his voice a harsh contrast to Thrawn’s calm and collected tone. Yet Thrawn refused to acknowledge Vader’s outburst, his back still turned towards the Sith as he continued to watch you, his fingers now playing with your loose curls hanging around your face. 

“You must forgive me,” he continued. “I have taken it upon myself to research more about you. Your files were quite intriguing to read and get acquainted with. Your records at the Imperial Academy were one of the best I’ve ever had the pleasure of stumbling upon. All in all, you are a rare gem that has fallen out of Imperial hands. It is my duty to bring you back to your intended place.”

You frowned, practically scowling at the man. His sweet words were a stark contrast to Vader’s when he had criticised your involvement with the Empire, nitpicking practically all your achievements as something less than what he thought you deserved. 

“And what is this intended place you speak of?” you asked, narrowing your eyes. 

“Simply that you belong within the Imperial ranks,” Thrawn answered you with a smile. 

“Even after the fact that I’ve never pledged to drop my associations with the Rebel Alliance, still and foremost considering myself a Rebel and not as one of your Imperial dogs,” you snapped back, watching as Thrawn’s face morphed into something sinister before it quickly evaporated from his features. 

“This can be overlooked,” Thrawn finally replied. “After all, the Rebellion is no more. And we have Lord Vader to thank for that, as well as you for bringing him to your precious Rebellion and selling out their position to the Empire,” Thrawn sneered. 

“I never - “

“The media can be bought,” Thrawn continued, interrupting you. “And there are many ways to make you into something you are not. Perhaps something along the lines of you working alongside Darth Vader all along, secretly plotting the Rebellion’s demise while tricking the High Command into believing you were on their side all along. That is the reason why General Organa charged you with the care of Lord Vader, believing you were the only person capable of doing the job she entrusted you with. How does that sound?” 

You glared at Thrawn, your hands curling into fists as you gritted your teeth. 

“But enough with this,” Thrawn smiled down at you, his hand falling away from your face. “I did not call you here to bicker about which side you still consider yourself to be on. The Rebellion has lost and you along with Lord Vader are invited to participate in the Empire’s grand celebration of finally winning the Galactic War.”

“I would kindly have to decline - “ you started but Thrawn’s smile turned into sneer as he glared down at you. 

“This wasn’t an offer,” he snapped. “The celebration will be held a week from today. You are expected to be there, my dear [Y/N].”

You glared at the man, biting your tongue from saying anything you’d regret later. 

“In the meantime,” Thrawn continued, turning his gaze back to Vader. “You will both stay on Coruscant. Your fleet will be awaiting your return once the celebrations are over. My servants have prepared the rooms for your accommodations. I do hope they are up to your tastes and expectations.”

Maul finally shifted from his spot, heading towards you and Thrawn while Vader stood in the same spot, glaring at Thrawn through the lenses of his mask. 

“We have much to discuss,” Thrawn continued, now directing his conversation to Vader. “Maul will escort [Y/N] to her own room while we continue where we left off back on the _Executor_ ,” Thrawn said and you managed to stay calm as Maul stopped in front of you, covering your view of Vader with his towering form. 

“A pleasure,” Maul hissed, glaring down at you. 

You didn’t get the chance to respond as Maul grabbed you by your upper arm and practically dragged you out of the room, your gaze only briefly connecting with Vader as the doors shut in your face. You were now at Maul’s complete mercy. 

“You better keep a pace,” Maul’s voice snapped you from your reverie. “I do not care if you get lost or get killed for not paying attention where you’ve wandered,” he continued as he swiftly headed in the direction of the lifts, not waiting for your response. You gritted your teeth, practically running after the Sith Lord. What was up with all of them walking like they were set on fire? 

The rest of the way was spent in silence, your focus on the back of the Zabrak male as he led you through the hallways of the Imperial Center and towards the living quarters, away from all the commotion and lower levels where many officers were stationed and served the Supreme Leader. You finally stopped in front of the set of doors, Maul swiping his hand across from it and letting the doors swish open. 

“Your room,” he hissed, standing at the threshold of it. 

You looked inside the spacious room, surprised to find the room tastily decorated in rich colors and expensive furniture, unlike anything you’ve ever stayed at or been to. 

“Thrawn certainly has exquisite tastes,” you remarked, noting some of the art adorning the walls of the room. 

“Your weapons,” he ordered, extending his hand expecting you to give up your own means of defending yourself. You gave Maul a pointed look, crossing your arms over your chest, refusing to comply. 

“I won’t repeat myself,” he hissed. “Either you give them to me willingly, or I will be forced to search for them myself. It is your choice of how you want this to end.”

You gritted your teeth, hissing at him as you pulled out your lightsabers from the inside of your Imperial jacket, practically tossing them at his face. 

“I will be back to collect you for dinner,” Maul continued and you turned around surprised to hear his words. 

“Dinner?” you asked in confusion, your earlier anger evaporating. 

“Yes,” he snapped. “Now get in. I don’t have all day to wait for you to make up your mind,” he said as he pushed you inside and slammed the door shut, locking it from the outside. You realized you were as much a prisoner of the Empire as you were of the Rebellion, the differences were the lush decorations and comfort of the room instead of a cold cell. 

___

“What is this?” Maul snarled, pointing with his glare at your choice of clothing, which was the same thing you wore when you first arrived at the Imperial Center, nothing more than your plain Imperial uniform. 

“What does it look like?” you snapped back, glaring at the Sith who was blocking your exit with his body when he came to retrieve you as promised hours later. 

“You will _change_ ,” he demanded and you scoffed before he pushed you back inside the room. “These are Thrawn’s orders, not mine.”

“What gives him the right to dictate what I can and can’t wear?” you indignantly screamed to which Maul gave you an unamused glare. 

“Five minutes,” he snapped. “That’s all you get. If you’re not ready by then I will drag you out even if you’re half decent,” he said as he shut the door, giving you some privacy. 

You were fuming, gritting your teeth as you stared at the door, imagining cutting Maul up with your blades. You were very much considering _not_ changing but even you were smart enough not to invoke Thrawn’s anger and potentially harming you or Vader for disobeying his orders however sickening they were. You opened up the closet that you already went through earlier when checking the room for any hidden cameras and listening devices, as well as looking for any means of escape, only to be left empty-handed. To your dismay, the only choice of clothing that was inside the closet were dresses, lots of them. You hissed, rummaging through different styles, all looking ridiculous to your tastes. You _hated_ dresses and this display of humiliation was going to cost Thrawn his own life if he continued to treat you as his own art collection.

You finally picked the most inconspicuous one, a dark blue color that was decent and simple enough to cover up your figure as much as the material allowed and you hastily put it on, leaving your pants and boots on. You were not comfortable stripping yourself practically naked. If you had to fight your way out, you at least had something comfortable and practical to wear underneath the frivolous dress. You were done just in time when Maul opened the door, glaring at you across the room. 

“Let’s move,” he ordered and you scowled your face as you hastily followed him out, once again trying to keep up with his long strides. You didn’t have to do this for long when you finally arrived at a spacious room, decorated in the same exquisite style as your assigned room, only this time serving as a dining area. Thrawn was already sitting at the head of the table and you had a minor deja vu moment, remembering your dinner with Vader. Speaking of which, you didn’t see Vader anywhere in the room, your eyebrows furrowed in confusion when you finally stopped in front of the designated area for you to sit, right next to Thrawn’s left side. 

You were about to sit down when Thrawn moved from his seat, startling you as he came up behind you and pulled out a chair for you to sit, your confusion overridden by slight astonishment. Thrawn was much more of a gentleman than Vader ever was. You scowled at yourself. You kept comparing the two men and their stark differences, what was _wrong_ with you?

“You look absolutely stunning tonight,” Thrawn started as he took his own place back at the table, all the while watching you with his red eyes. 

“Do you tell the same thing to all of your prisoners?” you asked, raising your eyebrow to look at the man. 

“Prisoner?” Thrawn asked, morphing his face into perfect confusion overridden by slight offense from your words. “You are not a prisoner here.”

“Then why do you keep locking my door, have your _hunchman_ escort me everywhere, not to mention dictate what I should wear in your presence,” you snapped, raising your voice a notch as you glared at the man. 

“For your own protection, my dear,” Thrawn replied, smiling at your words as he took a sip of his wine. “There are many here that would likely take advantage of you if such an opportunity presented itself,” he continued. “I simply want what’s best for you.”

“ _Really_?” you sneered, not buying his sweet talk. “I suppose you’d say that these dresses are meant to keep me safe as well?”

“You must be forgetting,” Thrawn replied, slowly cutting his meat with a knife and you had an urge to grab your own and stab him in the chest. “That you are at the Imperial Center, in the presence of the Supreme Leader himself. The code dictates that you obey the royal customs and dress appropriately in the presence of your ruler.”

“You mean customs that are meant for women while men are allowed to wear their uniforms?” you snapped, glaring at the Chiss as he slowly chewed his meal. 

“Such _fire_ ,” Thrawn remarked, smiling at you. “I can see why Lord Vader would find such interest in you. You are a rather remarkable woman.”

You decided to dismiss his obvious jab at trying to rile you up at the mention of Vader’s feelings towards you. So instead you focused on one thing that was obviously missing, or rather _someone_. “Is Lord Vader not joining us?”

“He has other duties he must attend to first,” Thrawn replied. “So no, he won’t be joining us. This dinner is just between you and me.”

“What an honor,” you sarcastically replied, refusing to touch your food. 

“It is getting cold,” Thrawn nodded his head towards your own meal, and once again the deja vu hit you head on. “I would hate for you to waste such a fine meal on being pettily stubborn.”

You scoffed at his remark, finally noticing Maul standing in the shadows of the room, watching you with an unreadable look on his face. 

“What do you plan on gaining by forcing me to attend your celebration?” you finally asked, returning your gaze to Thrawn. 

“A way to get to know you better,” he replied, startling you with his answer. “We will have a whole week to ourselves. I was hoping by the end of it you and I could become allies. Your talent in the Force cannot be ignored nor can it be put to waste.”

“What do _you_ know of the Force?” you asked, narrowing your eyes. 

“Enough,” he said, smiling at you. “Darth Maul is a testament to that knowledge now that he is serving me.”

“You must truly be blind not to see you are being manipulated by Palpatine,” you laughed, earning a glare from the man next to you. “You think he’d let you be on the throne forever? To let you use the Force-sensitive army to your own disposal - “

“Palpatine had given me the throne himself,” Thrawn announced and you stared at him wide eyed, refusing to believe his words. “It was his idea to give me the reins of his Empire as he himself recovered in the shadows. Even when he resumes his position as the Emperor, _I_ will always be by his side as second-in-command. I lose nothing from such a proposition.”

“He gave you the order to kill Vader,” you realized once you connected all the dots. 

“Indeed,” Thrawn nodded, taking another sip of his wine. “But his own intentions had changed towards him. I do not know of his purpose of keeping Darth Vader alive, only that I shall obey Palpatine’s wish to keep him by my side. You have nothing to fear, I will not kill him.”

You digested his words, watching the man in front of you, trying to see through him and his potential lies. Thrawn only smiled in return, realizing what you were trying to do. 

“You won’t be able to read my mind that easily,” he said. “There are seals placed within my mind that would prevent even beings such as Lord Vader himself from accessing any information.”

“And why are you telling me this?” you asked with suspicion in your voice. “You are not worried that I might just relay this information to Vader himself?”

“Oh no,” Thrawn said, a slight smirk gracing his lips. “You won’t be seeing Lord Vader any time soon. And I hardly think you two are on speaking terms after what transpired between the two of you.”

You froze, your mind going black as you stared at the Chiss. “ _What did you say?_ ” you hissed, finally finding your voice. 

“Isn’t that obvious?” Thrawn shrugged, looking at you with a look that told you he knew much more than he let on. “You had a fight, and I will bet all of my Imperial credits to say that it was over something paramount which had forced you two to break things off. Am I correct in assuming I am accurate in my observation of you?” he asked and you watched him, still frozen in your spot. 

“I will take it as a yes,” Thrawn continued. “I do hope that you will find yourself more comfortable over the next few nights to have a much more enjoyable conversation with me,” he added, setting his napkin down as he finished with his meal. 

You gave Thrawn a puzzled look and he caught it with his own, his eyebrow raised as he regarded you. 

  
“I am looking forward to seeing you tomorrow around the same hour,” he supplied, raising himself from the table, and once again approaching you from behind as he pulled out the chair for you to easily stand up. “And I do hope you will wear that color again,” he motioned with his hand towards your dark blue dress. “After all, blue _is_ my favorite color.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We won't see much of Vader action in the next few chapters and that's because majority of the time the reader will be spending with Maul and Thrawn and I'll be building the story from there. Vader will appear in chapter 44 ~ (but to be fair, for the past 10+chapters it was solely Vader/Reader so the mix is good and feels refreshing, it can be quite tiring writing about Vader non-stop). 
> 
> Also, writing Maul is kinda tough? I've never written him before and it's difficult to portray him (we don't see much of his personality in the Phantom Menace just through the Clone Wars so I'm kind of going off what I think he'd do or say.) But I decided I like writing about Maul and this might become my next obsession (what's with me and liking all the half-cyborg Sith men that like to choke people?). 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed it!


	42. A test.

You spent the next two days in the same routine as the first time you’ve arrived on Coruscant. You’d be locked away during the day in your own room, your breakfast and lunch brought to you by the droids, accompanied by Maul as he silently stared at you each time you asked him questions to the point where you stopped bothering trying to communicate with him as he refused to answer to each of your inquiries. And each time, around dinner time, you’d pick a dress that was _not_ a blue color to spite Thrawn and his earlier comment about his favorite color, refusing to wear anything that resembled him. And each time, you’d dine with him alone, with Maul silently standing in the shadows of the room, always watching you with his hard gaze. 

On the third day you finally gave up trying to pretend that you were not starving, for the past few days refusing to touch anything that was brought to your room. You counted four days of not eating anything and by then you felt lightheaded and weak. This wasn’t the state you should have allowed yourself to be in, in case you had to fight your way out. 

“Enjoying the meal?” Thrawn asked you as you silently sat eating, refusing to acknowledge his presence until he spoke to you. 

“It is adequate,” you replied, glancing his way to see him watching you with the same smile he always wore on his face. 

“Green color suits you,” he replied and you almost rolled your eyes. You’d have to eliminate green as well from your choice of wardrobe colors.

“I have a surprise for you,” he continued and this had caught your attention as you focused on him. “Tomorrow you will be escorted through the Imperial Center along with Maul and other entourage. I figured a breath of fresh air would make you feel better.”

“How very kind of you,” you replied, sarcasm leaking out into your voice. 

Thrawn tightly smiled, his gaze growing hard. “Do not mistake this as the means for you to try and escape,” he said, a warning clear in his voice. 

“I would never even dream of it,” you replied, once again fighting with yourself to not roll your eyes in his presence. 

“Excellent,” Thrawn replied, resuming consuming his own dinner.

“What are your intentions towards me?” you finally asked, watching Thrawn as he paused his fork mid-air, his eyes finding yours.

“I have none,” he replied, setting his fork down and focusing his full attention on you. 

“You must take me for a fool to believe that you would be keeping a mere woman, who still considers herself first and foremost a Rebel in captivity, refusing to give her a breath of fresh air without sending her with your most entrusted dogs without having some sort of intentions,” you said with a harsh tone. 

“You keep referring to yourself as a Rebel,” Thrawn drawled, propping his hand under his chin as he calmly regarded you. “Yet the Rebellion is destroyed. There is only the Empire.”

“I hardly think fabricating a glorifying story and framing me for helping you destroy the Rebellion would make anyone care about me,” you scoffed, recalling his earlier comment when he told you what his plans were in terms of your future. “People don’t know me, they only care for Vader - “

“You are mistaken,” Thrawn interrupted you. “You are a well known Inquisitor,” he started and you flinched. 

“I _was_ once an Inquisitor,” you corrected him, shooting a deadly glare his way. 

“It doesn’t matter what verb tense you use to describe yourself,” Thrawn scoffed. “The fact stays the same that you once were a very loyal Imperial soldier. Your life is already worthy enough to mention to the HoloNews.”

“And are you also going to mention how I helped the Rebellion destroy several of the Imperial bases, killing said Imperial men as I fought for the freedom from the clutches of the oppressing Empire?” you asked, raising your eyebrow to give Thrawn a pointed look. 

“I once met an idealist Rebel such as yourself,” Thrawn continued, a distinct look in his eyes. “His fate was the same as any other Rebel I had crossed during my time serving as the Grand Admiral.”

You glared at the man, refusing to be intimidated by his nonverbal threat of your fate should you choose to raise your hand against the Empire _again_. He was fairly certain you would never entertain such an idea. 

“And to answer your earlier question,” Thrawn continued. “My intentions are clear. Yet what Palpatine wants with you is yet to be determined. I would advise you to be careful where you tread.”

You swallowed your own discomfort at the mention of the Emperor, hiding your fear behind a false facade of disinterest as you engrossed yourself in looking at your food. 

“We shall continue this discussion tomorrow, same time,” Thrawn said as he raised himself from the table. “I have a meeting with Lord Vader, I would hate to keep him waiting. I will certainly relay your greeting to him,” he added, noticing how you inadvertently perked up at the mention of Vader’s name, smiling at your reaction. 

You really wanted to punch the bastard’s face. 

___

“Will you slow down?” you snapped at Maul, tired of running after him as he swiftly walked through the hallways of the imperial Center.

“This isn’t meant to be a leisure walk,” he snapped back, turning his head to give you one of his own glares. 

“I thought it was,” you replied, rolling your eyes. “It was meant to be a _surprise_ ,” you scoffed, recalling Thrawn’s words from last night. 

“There’s nothing to be surprised about,” Maul said with agitation in his voice as he rounded another corner. 

“And what of the Inquisitors?” you asked, being mindful of the two figures walking behind you at a safe distance, their faces covered by masks obscuring their features. You silently hoped they weren’t the ones that had managed to survive the massacre. 

“Your entourage,” Maul replied, his pace increasing and you growled in annoyance.

“They thought you weren’t enough to keep me safe?” you scoffed. “Or perhaps Thrawn thinks you are incompetent enough to guard me by yourself?” you smirked, earning another glare from the Zabrak male. 

“Careful,” he hissed, coming to an abrupt stop as he spun to glare at you. “Or I might just get rid of that voice of yours by _any_ means necessary to have you stop talking,” he snapped, raising his hand in warning as you felt slight pressure on your neck. 

“Do you always resort to choking people?” you scoffed, refusing to back down from his threat. “Or is that a common thing among all the Sith?”

Maul paused, glaring down at you as he smirked, the look in his eyes unsettling you. “So, you’ve finally admitted it,” he slowly drawled and you looked at him in confusion.

“Admitted _what_?” you asked, refusing to show the Sith you were intimidated by his closeness to you and the smirk that had spread over his lips as he bared his canines. 

“That Darth Vader had finally shown you his true colors,” he continued in that slow measured voice, gauging your reaction as he spoke. “That he had enough of you and your antics and had snapped. He had _hurt_ you, didn’t he?”

You swallowed an uncomfortable lump in your throat, your gaze softening at his words and you quickly looked away, only confirming Maul’s speculations as to what happened between you and Vader. 

“Yet you still live,” he continued and the inflection in his voice caught your attention as you looked up to see a curious look in his narrowed eyes. “You must be important enough to him that he kept you alive.”

“You are speculating too much,” you snapped, your earlier glare returning. 

“A simple observation,” he answered with a shrug of his shoulders as he turned around and continued the same way you headed for the past few minutes. 

You growled, resuming your quick pace after Maul until he stopped in front of another set of doors in the lower parts of the Imperial Center, away from prying eyes and high traffic of people all around you. 

“This is as far as you’re allowed to follow us,” Maul turned around to glare at the two Inquisitors behind you. “I will take over from here,” he growled when the Inquisitors refused to move until Maul hissed and made a notion to grab his lightsaber strapped to his hip. 

You were somewhat relieved that the Inquisitors had backed off away from you and Maul, expelling a sight that you wouldn’t have to witness a massacre between Maul and the Inquisitors should they have chosen to stay and disobey his orders. Something told you the relationship between Maul and the Inquisitors was not what it seemed, despite what it looked like on the outside. 

You stifled a gasp of surprise when Maul grabbed your arm and ushered you through the doors, locking you in with him in complete darkness and you involuntarily shuddered, expecting him to attack you. Except that he didn’t, when you felt him walk past you and then the lights were on and you realized with startlement that you were inside what looked to be an old hangar, much smaller than the one that was officially used some floors above you at the Imperial Center. You presumed you were underground. 

“What are we doing here?” you asked, narrowing your eyes as you watched the Sith some feet away from you watching you with an anticipated expression on his face as though he expected you to know why he brought you here. 

Instead of answering you he reached under the black garments of his robes and pulled out your own lightsabers and then effortlessly threw them your way and you easily caught them with the Force. You gave Maul a confused look, watching with wide eyes as he reached for his own weapon and then ignited it, twirling the double-bladed lightsaber in his hands. 

“Attack me,” he ordered and if you weren’t stumped before you were surely now. Perhaps you had a feeling that something like that would happen, thus choosing to dress more appropriately for your ‘walk’, wearing a tight fitted top and pants, with the same boots that came with your Imperial clothing. 

“ _What_?” you asked, astonished at his blunt request.

“ _Do it_ ,” he snarled and you immediately tensed, getting into your position as you ignited your own blades, twirling them in your hands as you reversed your grip on them. 

You took a shaky breath, willing your nerves to calm, letting your nervousness and anxiety ebb into the Force and then lunged at him, using all your previous knowledge and training that you gained from Vader to attack Maul. As expected, Maul’s lightsaber techniques were astonishing, his skills up to par with Vader but different enough in his own style. You recalled all that Vader had told you about Maul’s fighting techniques, his preferences in using a Juyo form, one of the most vicious forms of lightsaber combat.

You ducked and parried, managing to defend against all of Maul’s vicious attacks, his dual-blades a mere blur as he twirled and changed the direction of his weapon, each and every time trying to find a weakness in your own form. You defended and attacked with each strike of your own blades, changing the direction of your strikes and twirling your own blades to accommodate the viciousness and speed of the fight. 

Acrobatics played a major role in your success at avoiding getting impaled by Maul’s long blade and several times you had managed to avoid getting struck by it by somersaulting away from him, using your own blades against the floor of the hangar to stop your sliding, and using the momentum to jump in the air and continue your fight as you used both of your blades to stop his incoming attack as you gritted your teeth against the Sith’s incredible strength. Vader was quite serious when he told you your weakness was your own lack of strength. 

What you didn’t expect was for Maul to kick his leg under you, thrusting all his strength in that one kick and you groaned from pain as he collided with your stomach, your body flying towards the floor as the air left your lungs, momentarily making you dazed. You felt this way before when Vader kicked you during one of your training sessions with him, his strength unnatural in its own way for someone to have metal prosthetics instead of real legs. You realized with a start that Maul must have had lower prosthetics as well but that thought was quickly stuffed in the back of your mind as you saw him coming down with his blade pointing down at you. 

You managed to roll away just in time as his blade struck the empty spot on the floor and then raised yourself on your shaky legs, refusing to let pain take over your senses, only fueling your drive to finish this fight and leave unscathed. Maul lunged at you again, this time changing his fighting style as he separated his staff into two lightsabers, the form familiar to you as you blocked his attacks with your own blades. He was now using Jar’Kai form, the one Vader warned you about Maul was a master of. 

Your senses were on overdrive as you continued to block his attacks, his sheer strength and speed preventing you from doing anything else than defend, as you continued the deadly dance amidst the empty hangar. Par, block, attack, swing, defend, spin away, duck, kick, and repeat. Your muscles ached from the intensity of your fight. Vader must have held back with you when he trained you, or you simply did not notice when you fought with him. Because it was quite clear that the intent in Maul’s crazed eyes was to _kill_. 

You cried out in pain when one of his lucky strikes managed to scorch your arm and you hissed, changing the direction of your blade once more as you ducked down, spinning around just as you twirled your lightsabers mid spin and then managed to strike Maul against one of his thighs, sparks flying in the air when you realized your blade collided with the metal in his legs. So you were right about Maul all along. 

Maul hissed, baring his teeth as he growled and then brought his blades down in a killing move above your head. You anticipated his move and parried his attack with your own, both of you staring down at each other, your faces mere inches from one another with your blades crossed in between you in a deadly lock. 

“Impressive,” Maul growled before he attempted to kick you again but this time you anticipated his move and flipped over and around him to avoid both his foot and the swing of his blade. You wasted no time as you whirled around mid air, Maul still turning around to face you before you swiftly used the Force and used all of your might to push him across the room. Once again, your bizarre surge of power came to life as you unexpectedly used an incredibly strong Force push to slam Maul against the far wall, making him groan in pain. You huffed out from exhaustion and your own pain, staring at Maul with a mixture of both astonishment and fear at what you’ve done for the second time in the span of the last few days. It appeared Maul was just as surprised as he stared at you with a different look in his eyes that was for once not a glare or any other murderous intent visible in his blazing eyes. 

“ _Fascinating_ ,” Maul finally said after he straightened himself out, extinguishing his blade. You were warily staring at him across the room, refusing to do the same with your own blades. You knew Maul could attack you at any moment, if not with his weapon then with the Force. 

“What is?” you snapped, narrowing your eyes at his approaching figure. 

“To think _you_ managed to land a strike on _me_ ,” he continued, watching you with that same odd expression on his face. “You may put those down,” he motioned with his head to your lit lightsabers.

You refused to extinguish them, only making the Sith sigh in exasperation. “I was merely testing you,” he continued in his quiet but ominous voice. 

“ _Testing_ me?” you asked, as he stopped a few feet away from you, watching you intently with those sickly yellow eyes. 

“I know what your _true_ purpose is,” Maul drawled and you frowned, cautious of his words. “Why you and Vader willingly decided to come here, knowing the risks of doing so.”

“ _Oh_?” you mimicked Maul’s voice, narrowing your eyes at him. “Do tell me what it is you think we are here for.”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Maul continued, slowly circling around you but keeping his distance as you adjusted the grip on your lightsabers. “You came here in hopes to kill _me_ , along with Thrawn. Yet you do not yet realize the trap you’ve all been caught at.”

You watched Maul from the corner of your eye, slowly turning around to keep your gaze on him as he walked behind your back. 

“And I suppose you won’t tell me what that trap is,” you tersely replied, refusing to acknowledge that Maul's words hit the mark.

Maul smiled, baring his teeth as he did so. “We are a part of something _much_ greater,” he continued, making a full circle around you. “The outcomes of our futures are yet to be decided.”

You frowned at Maul’s words, the meaning behind them confusing you, his words not making much sense to you. “What are you talking about?”

“Are you ready to face your future?” he suddenly asked, snapping his gaze back to you. 

“My _future_?” you slowly asked, raising your eyebrow to give Maul an incredulous look. 

“The Force had shown it to you,” he replied and you drew a harsh breath of air, your eyes shooting glares at the Sith in front of you. 

“How do you know about _that_?” you growled. 

Maul simply smiled, unfazed by your growing anger. “The infinite power of the Force,” he vaguely replied and you were starting to get aggravated and annoyed at the Sith and his uncanny ways of making you quite frustrated with his half answers that barely made any sense. 

“I’m done talking to you,” you snapped, turning around and readying to place some distance away from the Zabrak male. 

“Your powers have doubled since the last time we’ve met,” Maul’s voice stopped you in your tracks. “I was merely testing to see if you were anywhere near ready to face what awaits us all.”

“You’re still not making any sense!” you snapped, rounding up on the Sith as you pointed one of your lit lightsabers in his direction. “Is that one of the other common traits that the Sith like to use to confuse their enemy?”

Maul watched you, the look in his eyes hard for you to decipher. “We are not enemies.” 

You gave Maul an incredulous look. “ _Really_ ? Perhaps you would also say that fighting battles to death, choking me and keeping me under tight security to make sure I did not escape is also part of us _not being enemies_?” 

“You misunderstand my intentions,” he replied, stepping closer and you tensed, bringing your lightsabers up in defense. 

“I think I understand them _clearly_ ,” you hissed.

“You are curious,” Maul replied instead, with each word coming up closer to you until he stopped right at the tip of your extended blade. “You wish to make me believe you’re not intrigued, not curious to know what it is I can _offer_ but you can’t fool me nor yourself.”

“Is this one of the tricks your _master_ wants me to fall for?” you snapped and instantly drew a sharp breath when Maul growled, his eyes flashing with unleashed anger and hate, making you stumble as you tried to back away from him.

“Sidious is _not_ my master,” he hissed, his large form towering over you as he backed you against one of the walls, unfazed by your attempt to keep him from coming any closer to you by pointing your lightsabers at his chest. 

“Do you take me for a _fool_?” you hissed, trying to keep your voice from wavering and your breath even as you stared at the enraged Sith in front of you. “You were once his apprentice - “ you started, recalling what little Vader had told you of Maul. 

“ _Once_ ,” he hissed, his eyes narrowed as he glared at you. “But that was a long time ago, before he discarded me like trash and left me all but forgotten until it suited his needs once more to seek me out,” Maul snapped and then abruptly turned around and started pacing in front of you, reminiscing you of Vader when he would become agitated and upset over something. 

“He _used_ me,” Maul growled, his anger palpable in the Force, his emotions amplified from sheer anger and hate directed at his former master as you watched him warily from your spot. “For years he had kept me locked away, _tortured_ me, fed me more lies and promises he never fulfilled. And then when he grew tired of me he spit me back out and forced me to duel with Vader for his own amusement, which had almost cost me my own life.”

You didn’t know what to say to that so you stayed silent, watching Maul pacing back and forth in front of you, his mind elsewhere. 

“And when I managed to raise myself from the ashes and build my own army, he took it all away,” he yelled, rounding up on you and you shrunk from his harsh gaze and livid expression on his face. 

“ _I hate him_ ,” he hissed, pronouncing each syllable, each word laced with the promise of excruciating pain. “I want him _dead_ . I want everything that was ever his _destroyed_ , burnt to ashes. I want it all _gone_.”

Your heart beat wildly in your chest, your breaths quick as you stared at Maul. “And what of Vader? Do you want him dead as well?” you asked, keeping your gaze level with Maul. 

“Vader,” Maul drawled, hissing Vader’s name as it rolled on his tongue. “I want him to kill Sidious. An apprentice worthy enough to kill his master. The prophecy of the Chosen One shall be fulfilled.”

“A _Chosen One_?” you asked, furrowing your eyebrows. You’ve never heard of that term before. And what did it have to do with Vader?

“He hadn’t told you,” Maul asked, a slight surprise written on his face. “But of course, the prophecy of the Chosen One is but a legend, an ancient Jedi prophecy foretold for centuries. One that Sidious was obsessed with, long before Darth Vader was created from the ashes of a broken Jedi boy, _Anakin Skywalker_ ,” Maul hissed the last part with venom. 

“I hardly care what happens with Vader,” Maul continued. “Should he live or die, his life is not of my concern. My only demand is that he leave me be.”

You gave Maul an incredulous look. “You think after everything you’ve done, Vader would let you walk away unscathed? You must be delusional to think he’d let you live after you tried to kill me.”

As soon as the last words left your lips you realized the mistake you’ve made. You have said too much. Maul realized the same, baring his teeth in an unnatural smile, his gaze unsettling you as something shone in his eyes. 

“So, I was _right_ ,” he hissed, tilting his head as he watched you. “You are his _weakness_.”

You gulped, tensing your body as you adjusted the grip on your lightsabers. There was no one here to save you. If Maul chose to kill you, he’d most likely succeed in doing so. It was obvious even to the naked eye that Maul hated Vader just as much as he hated his former master. What’s the best way to get under Vader’s skin if not to kill the one thing that mattered to him the most? Even if you were no longer on speaking terms with each other. 

“I am not going to kill you,” Maul announced, perhaps realizing what it was you were thinking of. “I need you _alive_ for my own plans.”

“ _Your own plans_?” you asked, raising your eyebrow to give Maul an exasperated look. “Perhaps you’d care enough to tell me of them if you’re planning on using me and Vader for your own gain.”

Maul’s gaze flickered to the door and then back to your face. “Someone’s coming,” he hastily said, making an attempt to approach you as you bared your own teeth and raised your blades in defense. “You must _trust_ me.”

You gave Maul another look, wordlesly conveying to him that he was insane for thinking you’d have even an ounce of trust after everything that transpired between the two of you. 

“I would have killed you a long time ago if that was my true intention,” Maul snapped, giving you a pointed look. “I would have snapped your neck back on the _Executor_ had that been my true goal, yet I let you live.”

“How very _kind_ of you,” you snapped, glaring at the Sith in front of you. 

Maul shook his head, almost sighing at your stubbornness. “You are a key piece to all of this,” he replied instead instantly making you tense. “My own future depends on your survival.”

“What are you saying?” you asked barely above a whisper, your gaze connected with Maul’s as you two stared at one another. 

“You must trust me to protect you,” he replied, extending his hand, silently asking you to give him back your own lightsabers. Your gaze swept across his face and then down to his extended hand and then back up to his face again, trying to read his true intentions of why he was doing this. But the Force was silent around him and you were left with trusting your own instincts. And right now your instincts told you to trust _him_. 

“If this is a trick, _I will kill you_ ,” you snapped at him, finally extinguishing your lightsabers as you handed them back to his extended hand. Perhaps it was a sign of trust that Maul did not attack you nor did he say anything to your outburst, perhaps believing that you’d never manage to actually kill him as he took your weapons and hid them underneath his black garments. 

“We must go,” he announced, grabbing your arm as he dragged you with him across the space toward the door. You protested as you tried to wring your arm from his grip, making Maul hiss as he spun you around to face him. 

“Keep this conversation to yourself,” he hissed, squeezing your arm just enough to let you know of the repercussions should you fail to abide him. “This is my only chance of escaping this hell. Sidious _will_ kill me once he gets what he wants, there is no denial that I have outserved my purpose to him. I do not wish to die anytime soon should you fail to keep your mouth shut.”

You growled at Maul’s threat yet his words intrigued you. “What _does_ he want?” you asked, starting at Maul’s blazing eyes. “What does Palpatine _want_?”

  
“ _You_ ,” Maul hissed, and your breath caught in your throat as you gasped, his answer stunning you. “He wants _you_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realized that Maul is just as much of a victim as Vader ever was in Sidious's plans. In my story, his fate is slightly different than in the TCW/Rebels animated series. Maul still ended up getting captured and tortured by Sidious at the end of the Siege of Mandalore but the fight between him and Ahsoka never happened. He was confined and isolated in the prison Sidious constructed for him, torturing him for years until he let him out to have him fight Vader. 
> 
> In the comics series there was an incident where Maul and Vader fought and I took that idea and put it in the story (when Vader recalled him and Maul fighting and Maul surviving the duel that's what he was talking about) as well as Maul saying it was all for Sidious own pleasure. Maul was able to escape and raise up an underground army (just like in Solo movie which we will touch up more in the next chapter) until Sidious found him again thus how Maul ended up serving Thrawn. His story is just as complicated as any other character and I hope I touched up on it just a little in the discussion between Maul and reader. All you have to know is that Maul _hates_ his former master, which will play a major role in upcoming chapters.
> 
> P.S. I also wanted to let everyone know that I will be leaving tomorrow for a week long vacation and won't be able to post more chapters until I return. Expect a new update sometime around August 10th? I'm working diligently on my next chapters, some of them as long as 20 pages and it's taking a lot of work to make them perfect. So I will slow down with my schedule until I get these chapters uploaded. 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	43. A wishful dream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know you've all been patiently waiting for the next chapter, so here it is, a day earlier than what I promised. I couldn't contain my excitement to post a new chapter. Enjoy!

_A child’s laughter was the first thing you heard before someone jumped on the bed and crawled on top of you, their weight slight but enough to wake you up from your sleep. You rolled over to find a small child, a boy, no more than four or five years of age, his blue eyes twinkling in mischief, his blond hair tousled and wavy as he stared from his spot next to your head._

_“Mama,” he exclaimed, laughing as his small hands wrapped around your neck, squeezing you in a way a child would when they wanted to show their parents their affection. “Get up! You’re going to miss it!”_

_You stared at the child in confusion, watching his face in silence as you tried to recollect who this child was. He called you his mother, could it be -_

_“Luke,” you heard a male’s voice from the corner of the room and when you turned your head you softly gasped to find Vader lazily leaning against the frame of the door, his hands crossed over his chest with a soft smile stretching his lips as he looked at you two with fondness in his eyes. “Let your mother be. I’m not going to leave for another hour.”_

_The boy, Luke, turned his head to look at Vader, pouting as he jumped up and down on the bed next to you. “But, papa, you’re leaving for a whole month! Mama said she would miss you.”_

_“I know,” Vader replied, still smiling as he addressed his -_ yours _son. “Why don’t you go get dressed while I speak with your mother?”_

_Luke nodded his head, before climbing off the bed and running past Vader into what you presumed was the boy’s own bedroom. Your gaze followed the boy until you snapped it back up to Vader who was still watching you from across the room with a look in his eyes you’ve never seen before._

_“Are you feeling alright?” he asked, finally pushing himself off the frame of the door and approaching the bed you were laying on. “I can postpone my travel if you wish me to stay with you,” he continued before he settled himself by the end of the bed, looking at you with concern in his blue eyes._

_You hungrily took in Vader’s appearance as though you haven't seen him in years, his features more relaxed than you’ve ever seen them, soft smile still gracing his full lips, his skin much tanner than the last time you’ve laid your eyes on him and his hair a wavy mess, tangled in some places but nonetheless still looking silky and soft and you fought with an urge to run your fingers through his long locks._

_“What’s wrong?” Vader asked, his eyebrows furrowed in worry. “Is it the baby?”_

_You were confused by his words until Vader lifted his hand and placed it on the side of your stomach under the covers and only then did you realize that you were heavily pregnant, your stomach round and heavy._

_“She seems to be doing fine,” Vader said, rubbing small circles around the swell of your stomach with his metal hand. “She must be quite tired from keeping you up all night kicking in there,” he continued with amusement in his voice as he watched his hand on your large belly._

_“I-I’m fine,” you finally managed to respond, watching Vader from below. “Just tired.”_

_Vader’s gaze moved back to your face, his eyes hard as he leaned himself closer to you. “I promise I will be back before our daughter is born,” he said with conviction in his voice. “As soon as I’m done with the Hutts I will come back, I swear.”_

_“I know,” you responded because somehow you knew Vader would keep his promise. He always did. “I’m sure you will know if something’s wrong. You can always feel me even if we are a million years apart in the galaxy.”_

_Vader grinned, that boyish look on his face making your heart skip a few beats. Why did it hurt so much to see him so happy, knowing this vision, whatever this was, was never going to come true?_

_“I love you,” you told him, because you needed him to know. Because this was the only chance you had to tell him how you really felt._

_Vader smiled, leaned his face closer to yours and gave you a tender kiss on the lips, pouring all of his love and care into that one gesture which made you want to sob from heartache._

_“I love you too,” he whispered, before his lips sealed you in another kiss._

You gasped in bed, bringing your hand to your face to feel the wetness from your tears and you let out a soft wail, feeling yourself break all over again. This dream only reminded you of things you couldn’t have, would never have. You wrapped your arms around your flat stomach, missing the feel of Vader’s hand on your swollen belly and you shook from silent tears, softly gasping for breaths as you tried to will yourself to calm down. You reminded yourself this was for the best, that breaking things off with Vader was what you both wanted. Yet you still hurt, still wanted for things between you two to go back to normal. You had already forgiven Vader for what he’d done, despite knowing that your forgiveness meant absolutely nothing. If anything, you were foolish to consider even a slight chance you’d get back with Vader. The man was unstable, ruthless and too emotional for his own good. You reminded yourself that you could have died by his hand.

Your thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door and you hastily raised yourself from the bed and wrapped a robe around your sleeping gown before opening the door, only to meet the scowling face of Maul. 

“Get dressed,” he snapped without any sort of preamble and you glared at the man in return. “Make sure to wear something more presentable than this,” he hissed, motioning towards your obvious state of clothing at the moment. 

You were about to open your mouth to snap at him but Maul beat you to it, “Thrawn’s orders, not mine. He expects you to meet him in his personal hangar. Do _not_ make him wait,” he added and shut the door to your astonished face. 

You gritted your teeth, curling your hands into fists as you shook from anger. _That slimy son of a bantha blue bastard, how dare he_ , you seethed as you hastily rummaged through your closet, looking for a dress that you haven’t already worn or the color that Thrawn had not inadvertently eliminated from your choice by yapping his compliments on the said colors. You ended up picking yellow, a color you would have never thought you’d ever wear. By the time Maul knocked again, several minutes later, you were ready and scowling at the Sith as he led you through the Imperial Center. 

“What does Thrawn want _now_?” you asked, shooting glares at Maul’s back as he stalked through the hallways of the facility, once again making you practically jog after the Sith due to his large strides and fast pace. Thrawn had only ever requested your presence during dinners, the fact that he wanted to see you this early in the morning was startling to say the least. 

Maul did not reply and you rolled your eyes. After your discussion two nights prior, it seemed the Zabrak male was back at ignoring you or snapping his orders at you, refusing to answer any of your questions. And you had a lot of them. You were so engrossed in your thoughts that you didn’t realize Maul had stopped and you smacked your face into his back, making the Sith growl as he turned around and glared at you. 

“He is expecting you inside,” he snapped and then pushed you through the sliding doors which led to a spacious space of a private hangar, shutting the door behind your back. You found Thrawn already waiting for you in the middle of the hangar and right behind him a sight you never thought you’d see again. The _Millennium Falcon_ in all her glory. 

“ _Beautiful_ , isn’t it?” Thrawn smiled, watching you with that knowing look in his eyes as you slowly approached him. You didn’t miss the double meaning behind his words, his eyes roaming over your body before his gaze landed back on your scowling face. 

“You fixed it,” you replied instead, coming up next to the starship and gazing at it. You’ve never seen this ship in such pristine condition. You knew that Han and Chewie would have been ecstatic to see their ship looking brand new. 

“Of course,” Thrawn replied, his gaze back on the ship. “After all, it is a prized possession. The most legendary Rebellion ship, now in clutches of the Empire. I could not let such a famous ship be wasted in scrapland. The _Millennium Falcon_ will be shown during the opening ceremony two days from now. A symbol that the Galactic War is finally over and that the Rebellion had lost. A fitting end to the ship that used to symbolize the Rebel’s hope, don’t you think?”

You did not respond, watching the starship instead as you felt Thrawn’s gaze back on your face. You weren’t going to give him the satisfaction of seeing pain in your eyes, reminiscing of the life you had at the Rebellion and the memories you’ve made with Han and Chewie in the past few months of getting to know them. 

“I can never get tired of seeing you like this,” Thrawn continued and you finally snapped your gaze back to him to see him once more appreciating your choice of wear. “It seems it doesn’t matter what you wear, you look quite stunning in any color you choose.”

You fought with yourself to keep your face neutral, internally screaming every profanity you could think of back at Thrawn. “Does dressing up your prisoners give you that much joy?” you snapped, scowling at the Chiss. 

Thrawn simply smiled, inclining his head as he did so. “You misunderstand my intentions,” he replied and his words gave you a sense of deja vu, bringing to memory a conversation you had with Maul. You narrowed your eyes, watching the man in front of you with suspicion in your eyes. 

“And you are not a prisoner here,” he continued and you raised your eyebrow at that. “A simple precaution to keep you safe. Something that both Lord Vader and I agreed upon when you were first brought here. Which is why I am having Maul supervise you and not the Grand Admiral Piett whom Vader assumed would be your personal guard. You must understand that Maul is more than capable of keeping you _safe_ than any other man or woman in this place.”

You were stunned at hearing such words and then the anger set in inside of you when you realized that once again Vader had decided something for you, or against your will. “Lord Vader had _agreed_ upon that?” you asked, barely containing yourself to keep anger out of your voice. 

“Of course,” Thrawn replied, smiling. 

You were fuming, huffing a breath of air as you turned your gaze away from Thrawn. “You are under the impression that I’m merely a weak woman, incapable of defending myself,” you hissed. “I’m more than capable of taking care of myself. I don’t need your help nor your concern on that matter.”

“I don’t doubt that,” Thrawn replied and you instantly tensed when his hand grabbed you by your arm, twirling you around to face him. “But these are not my orders to follow nor is it a given choice for you. You are under my care and you _will_ abide _every_ request I am to make of you, including your choice of wear. Do I make myself clear?”

You gulped, the proximity of the man making you feel not only apprehensive but uneasy, yet you refused to yield to his dominance. “Then whose orders were they? Are you telling me that _His Highness_ had decided to play a dress-up game with me while spurting out nonsense about my safety? Don’t make me laugh.”

“You have a sharp tongue,” Thrawn replied, digging his fingers into your flesh. “I would be careful if I were you, _he is not as forgiving as I am_.”

You suppressed a sudden shudder going down your spine and were about to respond when you were interrupted by a distinct sound of heavy boots slapping against the floor and were instantly reminded of Vader. You tried to turn around to see who it was and were disappointed when it was not Vader who had emerged from the sliding doors but merely Maul, followed by the same entourage consisting of two Inquisitors you’ve met earlier in the week. 

“It seems our time together had come to its end,” Thrawn drew your attention back to him. “In two days time, you will accompany me to the Imperial Gala as my cortege. The word of your accomplice in aiding Vader at destroying the Rebellion had already reached the ears of millions of people across the galaxy,” you gaped at Thrawn with wide eyes, the words stuck in your throat. 

“Everything is as it should be,” he continued. “You’re back to where you’ve always belonged, within the ranks of the Empire and along your brothers and sisters,” Thrawn smiled, indicating with the sweep of his eyes towards the two Inquisitors behind you. 

“You shall enjoy the celebration,” he brought his head lower, barely a whisper as he spoke the words next to your ear. “After all, I’ve made sure to prepare it in such a way that even you would not be able to resist the charms of what the Empire can offer. Expect a present to arrive at your quarters on the day of the event. I’m looking forward to seeing you wear what I’ve personally handpicked for you, my dear [Y/N]. Do _not_ disappoint me,” he swiftly straightened out and released his grip on your arm, making you slightly stumble in your step as you backed away from him. 

“You are dismissed,” he stated and turned around to head away from the hangar, leaving you alone with your entourage he labeled as your own guards. 

___

“Can we talk?” you asked quietly enough so that the two Inquisitors behind you couldn’t hear you as you addressed Maul, who was walking slightly ahead of you.

Maul turned his head to glare at you, but refused to answer you as he continued to escort you back to your room. By now you knew at what point the Inquisitors would disappear, around the corner to your living quarters and as soon as you were sure you were not followed you stalked up to Maul and pulled on his tunic with enough force to make him stop. 

“What is it that you want?” he hissed, turning his body around to give you a displeased look. 

“Did you not hear what I said?” you snapped back, glaring at him in return. 

“I did,” he replied, pulling his tunic from your grasp with his hand. “And I don’t find any particular delight at having a conversation with you right now.”

“Well, too bad,” you snapped, pointing your finger at his chest. “But I’m sick and tired of being kept in the dark. What was the point of you approaching me in the first place if you refuse to acknowledge me now? Or perhaps everything you’ve told me was simply a _lie_.”

Maul’s face twisted in anger and the next moment he was dragging you towards the door leading to your quarters as he roughly pushed you inside and locked you both in your own room, for the first time entering the space with you. You were distinctly aware that you probably should not have taunted him like that, the Sith was just as unpredictable as Vader. 

“I’ve already told you everything you needed to know,” he hissed, his eyes glowing in the shadows of the room yet you stood your ground, refusing to yield and succumb to your own fears. 

“Not everything,” you countered, narrowing your eyes. “You haven’t told me why the Inquisitors are following _you_ . Why Palpatine is so fixated on _me_. What Thrawn’s ultimate goal is.”

“You are asking too much,” Maul hissed, narrowing his own eyes as he glared at you. “Some things are better left unknown.”

You scoffed, rolling your eyes. “Not if such things concern the fate of the galaxy.”

“Oh?” Maul shifted his stance. “ _Now_ you’re concerned about the state of the galaxy?”

“I’ve always been concerned,” you bristled and then sighed. There was no point getting provoked by his words. “You must tell me _something_. There must be a way for us to end this.”

“ _Us_?” Maul repeated, his voice conveying his surprise at hearing you say this. 

“Otherwise you wouldn’t have told me anything in the first place,” you said, giving Maul a pointed look. “Thrawn does not trust you. That’s why he sends the Inquisitors after you, doesn’t he? To spy on you, to remind you that he’s watching your every move. You’re a mere pawn in the bigger scheme of things,” you finished, growing aware of the fact that Maul was giving off murderous vibes your way the more you continued to talk. 

“You seem smarter than you look,” he finally replied, almost hissing out the words as he spoke. You refused to get offended by his comment, he was only trying to rile you up. 

“If you want Vader to kill Palpatine then Thrawn must be eliminated as well,” you told him, keeping your gaze on Maul’s figure, still pressed against the door of your quarters.

Maul finally shifted, stepping out from the shadows of the room. “That is not as easy to accomplish as you think,” he answered, his focus finally sharpened enough to consider the urgency in your words. “Thrawn is Sidious’s loyal subject, protected by the hundreds of Inquisitors surrounding this place. To kill him would almost certainly guarantee your own death.”

You considered his words. “Vader had told me something similar, that his hands are tied, that he can’t publicly kill Thrawn. Doing so would only warrant his swift death and thus rendering your own plan useless for using Vader to kill Palpatine,” you gave Maul a pointed look. “It has to be someone else, someone who’s willing to take the blame and backlash from the Empire.”

“And you want this someone to be _me_ ,” Maul hissed, stepping closer to you. 

“Yes, you have the power to do so,” you answered him, keeping your gaze on his advancements towards you. “And unlike Vader, you have nothing to lose, no reputation to be tarnished, no repercussions to your actions. If you do that, perhaps Vader would be willing to let you live as long as you exile yourself far away from the Core Worlds.”

“He had told you so?” Maul asked, practically growling. 

“No, but I can _try_ to persuade him,” you said and internally winced. You hadn’t spoken to Vader in almost a week, his link with you still cut off, and conveniently absent from all of the interactions between you and Thrawn. It was quite clear that Vader was avoiding you. Or maybe he was just busy, you told yourself. Maybe you were thinking too hard about all this. Regardless, you were lying to yourself to think that Vader would listen to anything you’d say to him. If he never listened to you before, why would he start now?

“There is no escape from any of this until Sidious is _dead_ ,” Maul spat, startling you from your thoughts. “Killing Thrawn will not fix the root of the problem - “

“But it can give us a leeway,” you interrupted him. “The Empire is not yet aware of Palpatine’s survival. Our only chance lies in that knowledge. If we manage to kill Thrawn it would give Vader enough power to take over control of the government, perhaps even become its leader. People _will_ listen to him, they _want_ him to lead them. He can use his control of the Imperial Navy to fight off any impending attacks from Palpatine, wherever he is,” you finished. You had already tried asking Maul of Palpatine’s current location, to which Maul replied that he was not aware where Palpatine was hiding off as well as the locations of the Super Star Destroyers you had found out about from the Imperial archives aboard the _Executor_ . Maul was only aware of the one currently orbiting above Coruscant, the _Avenger_. 

“An impossible feat,” Maul sneered. “Even _I_ am not capable enough to take on the full force of hundreds of the Inquisitors along with the Imperial Army and make it out unscathed. I am not willing to risk my own life for someone like Vader.”

“Yet you want Vader to risk _his_ while he fights your own master,” you spat, unfazed by the anger radiating off Maul or the glare in his eyes, smoldering you with his hate at mentioning Palpatine as Maul’s master. “If you _want_ something then you must _do_ something in return.”

Maul snarled, circling around you. “I am not a tool for you to use and then toss aside,” he hissed, threat clear in his raspy voice. “And I’m not going to listen to the likes of _you_ \- “

Something shiny had caught your eye, slipping past Maul’s black tunic and his robe, hidden under the thick material and your eyes widened when you recognized the piece of jewelry, the same one you’ve seen Val wore around his neck when you met him amidst all the crime organizations on Motok. The golden symbol of Crimson Dawn. Your curiosity had overridden your fear of Maul as you stepped to him and reached for the necklace, much to Maul’s shock at your bold action, rendering him speechless. 

“You’re the leader of Crimson Dawn,” you said as a statement, already aware of such fact from your failed mission on Motok. 

Maul snatched your hand, gripping it tightly in his own hand, crushing it under his strength as he glared down at you. “ _Don’t touch it_ ,” he hissed. 

You shook your head, a new plan forming inside your mind, your eyes wide from excitement. “Don’t you see? That’s our answer!”

Maul gave you a puzzled look, perhaps baffled by your response to his threat. Yet you continued regardless. 

“Use Crimson Dawn as a distraction,” you fervently replied, trying to keep your excitement at bay. “You have a whole army at your disposal, _use them_. You’ve managed to rage the war on Mandalore at the end of the Clone Wars by using the Shadow Collective, why not use them the same way on Coruscant?” 

You’ve learned about the Siege of Mandalore from the Imperial archives while studying at the Academy as well as the outcome of The Night of a Thousand Tears which ultimately led to the occupation of Mandalore by the Galactic Empire. Yet you never realized who orchestrated the war in the first place, the archives mentioning the names but you paid no mind to them. Now all of it made sense. Maul was the shadow leader of more than one syndicate crime organization, he had control over most of the criminal world, an alliance which included powerful organizations such as the Pykes and Black Sun alongside Crimson Dawn. Now Thrawn’s words to Vader made sense when you overheard their conversation aboard the _Executor_. It appeared Thrawn wanted the control of the underworld that Maul possessed. The question now was if Maul was still considered a leader of such a powerful and deadliest organization or if Palpatine managed to take that away from him as well, rendering Maul as useless and powerless as he claimed to be. 

You watched Maul with stilled breath, his hold on your hand still forcing you to be in close proximity to him, his height towering over your small form as he stared down at you. You might have caught a slight surprise written on his face upon hearing your words but it was quickly gone, replaced by the same scowl he usually wore. It was minutes before he finally replied, his words carefully concealed by his indifferent tone. 

“That may be so,” he started. “But even with the might of the Shadow Collective, the sheer force of them won’t stand the chance against the Imperial Army, not to mention the Inquisitors and their capability of destruction in large numbers.”

“Then let me _help_ you,” you blurted out, startling even yourself. But you already knew that if the moment presented itself for you to strike down Thrawn, you’d take it, consequences be damned. Even if it killed you in the process. 

“ _Help me?_ ” Maul asked, a clear surprise written on his face this time. 

“Let me fight alongside you,” you clarified, your mind already determined to do so. “Together with our combined strengths we can leave a dent in Inquisitors' large numbers. We only need to buy ourselves enough time to escape.”

Maul regarded you, watching you with narrowed eyes. “You’d be willing to damn yourself and become the most sought out criminal across the galaxy?” he asked and you scoffed, almost laughing at his ill-fitted concern, hidden by his own secret agenda towards you. You had yet to ask him what it was he _really_ wanted from you. He had never told you of his reasons to _protect_ you, stating that Palpatine wanted you for himself, was _fixated_ on you for no apparent reason. That was something you were bound to find out sooner rather than later from Maul by any means necessary before you plunged yourself into committing treason and horrendous crime against the Empire. 

“Regardless of what Thrawn believes or says about the Rebellion, I still consider myself part of it,” you started. “And if his goal is to pin a blame on me for aiding the destruction of the Rebel base on Da Soocha V and ultimately destroying the Alliance by alienating me from the survivors, then my goal is to destroy everything he and Palpatine worked for in the last few months of creating the New Empire by killing the blue bastard in front of the cameras for the whole galaxy to see.” 

You smirked, watching Maul with a hard gaze. “I’m planning on returning to the Rebellion one way or another and I need a gateway to get to them without being labeled as a traitor. I need this just as much as you do. So _let me help you_.”

Maul narrowed his eyes into slits, silently staring at you. When you hand started to cramp from lack of circulation from his tight grip, he finally released you, startling you as he dipped his head lower almost on the level of your own face, his hot breath on your cheeks. 

“This is yet to be decided,” he finally hissed, whispering the words with the raspiness in his voice. “But, I shall consider your suggestion. I will contact my General to discuss the details further. If such a proposition is likely to happen, then I will notify you of it. In the meantime, keep this to yourself, discuss with no one of our plans, not even to Vader.”

You were about to argue but Maul beat you to it. “ _Especially_ not Vader. He is linked to Palpatine more closely than I ever was. If word gets out that we are planning a coup, it will cost us our lives.”

You knew Maul was right, yet you also knew how hard it would be to convince Vader to let Maul live for this plan to work without giving him any sort of context for the reasons why. And also for your own plan to work in asking Vader questions you knew would raise his suspicion, if you ever got the chance to see and talk to him again. 

Maul had assumed your silent agreement to his request, straightening himself out and heading towards the door before you stopped him again with your next words tumbling out of your mouth before you could stop yourself. 

“Train me,” you blurted out, freezing the Sith on the spot. “Please?” you added as an afterthought to your absurd request. 

“ _What_?” Maul hissed, turning around to give you a look, mixture between disbelief and astonishment written on his face. 

“Train me,” you repeated, biting the inside of your cheek before your nerves made you back out from this insane request. “I heard you were a master of the Jar’Kai form and I would like to learn more about that fighting style before we have to fight our way through the Inquisitors, if and when the time comes to do so. No one had properly trained me before and Vader, well, he is not the best at teaching and his fighting style differs from mine,” you started rambling, your nerves making you anxious and you promptly clamped your mouth shut, awaiting Maul’s response.

Maul’s facial marking went up above his right eye, giving you a perplexed look. “You want _me_ to train _you_?” he asked again as though he had a hard time hearing you and you almost rolled your eyes. 

“That’s what I said,” you snapped, losing your patience with him. 

Just when you thought Maul would refuse after he stared at you across the room for the longest time he finally answered with the simple, “If you wish so,” shrugging his shoulders and turning around to leave the room. 

You stared at his retreating back, still confused as to why you asked him to train you, but it was too late to take back your words and when Maul stopped by the door your decision was sealed when he announced, “Your training will start tonight. Await my signal after your dinner with Thrawn and wear something less gaudy than these hideous dresses,” he snapped, before shutting the door behind him, locking you in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are a lot of what's and if's involved in killing Thrawn and making it seem like it's sensible enough in the story. Bringing in the Shadow Collective is part of it, I've been hinting at them at some of the earlier chapters. I still consider Maul to be their leader, except the Hutts (they're on their own).


	44. The day of Gala.

“Argh,” you screamed when the heat of Maul’s blade grazed your shoulder, scorching the tunic you wore along with the skin under it, the whiff of burned flesh assaulting your senses. This wasn’t the first time Maul’s blade managed to graze your skin, leaving red burned marks along your otherwise flawless skin. You were on your second day of training, usually late at night when you’d finish dining with Thrawn. Maul would always come alone without the entourage of the Inquisitors you were so used to, and lead you through the back hallways and secret passages to the unused hangar he first asked you to fight him in. You had lost track of time, hours blending in as Maul continuously charged at you, barely giving you any breaks. His method of training involved more of the physical part of it rather than discussing the technical aspects of the Jar’Kai style, incorporating form VII into his technique as well. You were growing tired, your movements slowing down more and more as hours passed by and you were making more mistakes, thus earning multiple burns and scars from your inattentiveness. 

“And here I thought your aptitude in fighting stemmed from your growth of skills in the Force,” Maul sneered, pushing you against the wall with his blade. “Perhaps I was wrong in my judgment of you and you’re merely a _weakling_ ,” he continued and you bared your teeth at his insult. 

“No need to be rude,” you snapped, baring your teeth as your blades connected with his in a hold against one another. “It’s been years since I’ve needed to fight for long periods of time, yet you expect me to hold against _you_ for hours on end. Forgive me if I’m not up to your expectations,” you rolled your eyes, earning a low growl from Maul.

“The success in our plan lies in your ability to withstand against multiple Inquisitors in a battle,” Maul spat, twirling his blade to land another strike on you and you parried him with your own, your shoulder giving off a sharp nudge of pain from your wound. “We do not have the luxury of waiting on you to regain your performance that you claim you once possessed. The time of action shall soon come.”

That drew your attention. “You spoke with your General?” you asked, blocking more of Maul’s assaults with your blades. It proved to be quite difficult to hold the conversation along with fighting for your life against such a skilled opponent as Maul. 

“The plan is in motion,” Maul confirmed and your heart skipped a beat. This was becoming real. Yet one more thing stood in your way to ensure the success of such a scheme. You needed to talk with Vader, to try and explain yourself without giving away much of detail. 

“Where’s Vader?” you asked, keeping your voice indifferent yet you couldn’t fool Maul. His eyes narrowed at your obvious intent behind your question. 

“You will not speak to him about these matters,” Maul growled, clear warning in his voice. Before you could interrupt him with your protests and assurance that you wouldn’t give out any of the important information, Maul continued. “You shall see him tomorrow at the Imperial Gala. His attendance is expected, after all he is a guest and an honorable attendee to which this celebration is held for.”

“For this to work, Vader must be aware of some parts of the plan,” you argued, shaking your head. “We can’t expect to charge in - “

“You do not see what I see,” Maul hissed, interrupting you. “Vader will stop at nothing to foil our plans. He will not let you risk your life, let alone let you anywhere near me if he hears of this.”

“He will be forced to hunt us down if that was a case,” you gave Maul a pointed look, refusing to dwell on his words. You didn’t think it was Vader’s business to decide who could and couldn’t talk to you and who could and couldn’t associate with you, and it was certainly not his decision how you decide to spend your life. 

“It is to be expected,” Maul shrugged, suddenly extinguishing his blade. “It seems your body cannot take much longer of our training.”

You were about to argue but Maul was already heading towards the exit. “You must rest. Tomorrow holds the key to everything,” Maul continued and you frowned. _Key to what?_

“What are you talking about?” you asked, extinguishing your own blades and running up to Maul, silently following him back to your quarters through a set of secret passageways. 

Maul refused to respond and you narrowed your eyes. The man was hiding something. The conversation resurfaced in your mind of Maul talking to protect you. Protect you from _what_ ? From Palpatine, from Thrawn or perhaps something much bigger, something to do with Vader and your future? He knew of your visions, your potential future, but _how_?

“You’ve been hiding - “ you started but Maul silenced you with the back of his hand, pressing you against the wall in the dark corner of the corridor, just in time as several Inquisitors passed you by. It seemed the security was heightened around the Imperial Center the closer the date of the celebration arrived. Tomorrow night would be the most anticipated event in recent history after the formation of the New Empire. 

Maul quickly ushered you back to your quarters, practically shoving you inside the room but not before giving you something to ponder about for the remainder of the night. “If you want to live then I advise you to stay clear of Vader during tomorrow’s celebrations and for the remainder of the night afterwards. Heed my words girl,” he hissed, before locking you in, not giving you a chance to ask more questions and confusing you further. What did any of his words mean? What was Maul trying to warn you of? You felt like whatever tomorrow would bring would change the fate of the galaxy and your own future. 

___

You were trying to tend to some of the most obvious scrapes and bruises visible on your body, from the rigorous training sessions you had with Maul in the last two days. You were grateful that Maul was considerate enough to leave your face unscathed and that he also sent one of the droids later on in the night to give you some bacta bandages that you could cover up your burns with, especially the one on your shoulder and your back. You had no trouble accessing the shoulder, but the one in the middle of the back proved to be cumbersome to place due to its location. You were trying to do so in the fresher, after you spent at least half an hour soaking up in the warm bath, trying to soothe your aching muscles and joints but the small mirror gave you little view of your body so you migrated to the bedroom, bringing with you a towel and the patch but otherwise completely naked as you stood in front of the large mirror that showed your body in its full view while you tried to look at the burn. It didn’t look as bad as you initially thought but if you didn’t tend to it fast enough it could leave a scar so you tried the patch again, dropping your towel in the process as you twisted your body to access the wound.

Only then did you realize that you were not alone, your surroundings muted like the last time back on Da Soocha V Rebel’s base, although you didn’t notice it until it was too late and staring back at you in the reflection of the mirror was Vader, his surroundings indicating he was in his own room somewhere in the Imperial Center but you couldn’t place where, his mask and suit removed as he stood with the side of his body turned your way, scrolling through a datapad in his hand. Your eyes widened and you inadvertently caused a startling scream to leave your lips, drawing the attention of the Sith Lord, his head immediately turning to the sound and his eyes landing on you with your exposed back still turned towards him, your eyes wide and startled as you connected your gaze with his through the mirror. 

You immediately turned around, still staring wide eyed at Vader until his own startled expression turned into frown, his gaze turning dark as it swept all over your body and only then did it dawn on you that you were very much naked and exposed to his view and instantly your cheeks heated, your embarrassment quickly replacing your earlier startlement at finding Vader in your room or vice versa, _Force be damned,_ and you reached for your dropped towel, hastily wrapping it around your body, hiding your bright red face behind your wet locks and silently screaming in your head for this hellish nightmare to end. It was bad enough that you craved to see him for the past week, but how humiliating was it for him to see you in such a state after your rather unpleasant and tense conversation you last held with him before it all went to kriffing hell. 

You hoped he’d disappear if you refused to acknowledge him but after a tense minute in complete silence you chanced a glance only to find Vader still standing immobilized on the spot, still staring at you with an unreadable expression on his face. 

“I guess the Force has other plans rather than leaving us be,” you nervously laughed, finally having enough of the strained atmosphere in the room. “How are you - “

“What’s wrong with your back?” Vader’s voice interrupted you and you tensed. You tightened the towel around your body and then stepped away from the mirror, keeping your eyes on him. It was pointless to try and pretend like you didn’t know what it was Vader was talking about, he clearly saw the burn on your back. It was a matter of explaining to him the cause of it which made you slightly nervous despite the irrationality of the situation. 

“Oh that?” you shrugged, keeping your back turned away from him as you slowly shuffled closer to the fresher, hoping to lock yourself in until Vader disappeared. “It’s just a scratch - I think I must have fallen - “

“It was clearly a burn mark,” Vader interrupted you once more, his gaze now sweeping over your patched up shoulder and then towards the bacta patch still on the floor that you dropped in your haste to cover yourself with the towel. “From the lightsaber,” he finished, his eyes narrowed on you and you gulped, cursing his perceptiveness in your head. 

Whatever else you planned on saying had died down in your throat and you left staring at Vader, your mind blank. No excuses or lies were going to get you out of this mess, Vader was clearly expecting an answer to his inquiry and so with a sigh you did just that, deciding to keep it short and to the point. 

“It was my own fault,” you started, trying to keep your voice light. “Maul simply - “

“ _Maul_ ?” Vader roared and you flinched. “ _He did this to you?_ ”

Okay, maybe that wasn’t such a great idea to tell Vader about Maul afterwards. By the look on his face, Vader was less than pleased, actually he looked borderline of losing his control, his face twisted in a barely concealed rage.

You shook your head, trying to diffuse the situation with your next words. “It’s not what you think. It was my idea in the first place to train with him - “

“ _What?_ ” Vader asked and you cringed. The situation was getting more and more out of hand the more you talked. 

“And please don’t tell Thrawn?” you lamely finished, biting your lip. Great, now you were making a fool out of yourself. The whole incident with you stumbling on Vader naked in your own room had left you flabbergasted and embarrassed, the thoughts jumbling inside your head to the point that you couldn’t even come up with anything decent to say to Vader. You felt like you were someone getting caught doing something they shouldn't be caught doing in the first place. 

“What?” Vader repeated and it was your turn to frown, looking at Vader with an addled look. 

“Don’t tell Thrawn?” you repeated, furrowing your eyebrows. “I think I better just go - “ you tried to make your escape towards the fresher but all of the sudden Vader was in front of you, the surroundings around him clashing in with yours until all you saw was him and his eyes, staring down at you. 

“Did he hurt you?” Vader asked, his voice tense. 

“I - “ you started but then stopped. “I don’t think it’s any of your concern,” you finally replied, earning a dangerous look from Vader when you heard a low growl from him. 

“It is my _concern_ when my responsibility is to _protect_ you,” he snapped and this time you rolled your eyes, growing sick and tired of people telling you they were _protecting_ you while either keeping you locked up, fighting you to death or choking you. These people certainly had absurd ideas of what protection meant to them. 

“Oh _really_?” you hissed, baring your teeth, distantly aware you were mimicking Maul’s expression. “So your protection includes discussing things with Thrawn behind my back and assigning another kriffing Sith to look after me?”

“What are you talking about?” Vader asked, his glare softening by the confusion written in his eyes. 

“Oh, right, you like to play _that_ game,” you snapped, giving Vader an unimpressive look. “Thrawn told me of your agreement with him. Don’t try to play a fool and then be surprised about my associations with Maul.”

“What _agreement_?” Vader was thoroughly confused now, you could tell by the puzzled look and the inflection in his voice and you paused, observing his reaction. It seemed genuine enough. 

“What happened to Grand Admiral Piett?” you asked, your suspicions already confirmed by Vader’s reaction to your question. 

“Nothing,” Vader answered. “Only the fact that _you_ refused anything to do in the presence of his company. I assumed it was the fact that it was _my_ idea to assign him to you with which you were unhappy with and requested him to be removed from your assigned entourage.”

“Because Thrawn did not want you to have any contact with me, even through your own officer,” you said out loud, realizing that Thrawn had lied to you about Vader assigning Maul for your protection. You should have guessed that was the case, Vader would have never agreed to that. So did that mean Maul had lied to you as well?

“What has Thrawn done to you?” Vader interrupted your internal conflict and you lifted your eyes to look at him, his eyes on your cuts and bruises adorning your exposed body. You shifted under his scrutinizing gaze, drawing his attention back to your face.

“Nothing,” you shook your head, almost sighing. “He was nothing but hospitable and amicable towards me, regardless of our opposite views on certain things,” you responded, deciding to omit certain cases when you thought you’d either strangle or cut the man in pieces in your spurs of uncontrollable anger. 

“And what of Maul?” Vader snarled, refusing to believe that the result of the damage done to your body was your own doing.

“He hasn’t hurt me,” you gave Vader a pointed look, desperate for him to understand. “So _please_ don’t kill him.”

Vader paused, his gaze searching yours for some hidden answers, your bond with him flickering to life for a second before once again being extinguished on his end. 

“You’ve grown _attached_ to him,” he finally exclaimed, completely misunderstanding your attempt at keeping Vader away from Maul and them killing each other off. 

“Wait - _what_ ?” you asked with incredulity in your voice. “That has got _nothing_ to do with - “

“Then why would you _defend_ him?” Vader snarled, towering over you. “After he tried to _kill_ you, after he _choked_ \- “ 

Vader’s words died down, his voice abruptly becoming hoarse. This uncharacteristic display of emotion had a lot to do with what happened between you and Vader. And once again, Vader twisted everything to make it seem like _he_ was the one suffering. You understood his reaction clearly, he was trying to understand why you would _forgive_ Maul and speak on his behalf while you refused to do the same with Vader. You shook your head, once again becoming aware that it was pointless to have this conversation with him. You tried to sidestep around him, only for Vader to grab your arm, his touch sending a shock through your flesh, different from the feeling of his fingers on you if he were to really stand in front of you and not through the Force apparition. You whirled around to stare at him with wide eyes, fear seeping through your skin and mirroring your startled expression on Vader’s face. 

“I - “ he started, his voice still breaking until he cleared his throat and shifted his stance, his gaze once again becoming hard. “I have made preparations for you to leave Coruscant as soon as tomorrow’s Gala is over. You will be returning back back to your own crew,” Vader announced, startling you with his words. 

“And once again you’ve made the decision without first consulting with me?” you asked with indignation in your voice, burying your fear of Vader deep inside of you. “I’ve told you time and time again - “

“You were never meant to be here in the first place,” Vader interrupted you, his voice bitter and laced with regret. “I should have never allowed you to come here.”

“I’m not leaving,” you announced, trying to wrestle yourself from Vader’s grip. 

“You no longer have to stay for my sake,” Vader snapped, tightening his grip on you. 

“This isn’t about you,” you snapped back, glaring at him. “I’m not leaving until - “ you snapped your mouth shut, realizing with a start you almost blurted out yours and Maul’s plans to kill Thrawn.

Vader’s eyes narrowed. “Until _what_?” he asked, catching on your slip of tongue.

“Nothing,” you quickly said, _too_ quickly for your liking and Vader’s suspicions raised even more, his narrowed gaze still on you.

“You’re hiding something,” Vader announced and you tensed, only confirming his words with your actions when you tried to look anywhere but his face. “You’re pulling away from me. You’re refusing to tell me what’s wrong. You are _lying_ \- “

“This isn’t about you,” you repeated, barely above whisper, your breaths becoming shaky the longer you stayed in close proximity to him. Would he snap at you again? Would he lose his control and strangle you? Would he force you to succumb to him?

“Please look at me,” Vader’s voice broke and your heart constricted from the painful wave washing over you. The dream you had of him with your child, as a family had brought a new wave of sorrow. You choked back on the sob, grateful you had enough self control to hold it back and then you twisted your arm from his grasp and let yourself free from his hold, instantly fleeting inside the fresher and locking the door behind you, sliding down to the cold hard floor of the bathroom tile and quietly sobbing for the remainder of the night into the crook of your arms.

___

“You look like hell,” was the first thing Maul said to you when you opened the door to his insistent knocking, almost breaking the door down when you refused to open it. You scowled in return, glaring at him through your puffy eyes, redness still rimming the corneas of your eyes from your nightly crying. 

“What do you want?” you snapped, all of your patience gone along with your pretense of trying to keep a semblance of peace with him. 

Maul raised a facial marking at your outburst but refused to remark on your obvious state of emotional breakdown and physical evidence of your earlier crying, instead motioning for the two droids behind him to enter the room, carrying a few large boxes with them.

“What is all this?” you asked, watching the procession with narrowed eyes.

“Today is the Gala,” Maul informed and you groaned, rolling your eyes. 

“I do not wish to go, you can tell Thrawn he can stuff it up his - “

“I am not going to tell him anything,” Maul hissed, his annoyance with you clear in his voice. “He had given you specific orders to attend this meaningless spectacle at his side, and you will do so without any complaints.”

You opened your mouth but Maul continued. “I will come to collect you in two standard hours. I expect you to be ready by then. If not, the repercussions of your disobedience of Thrawn’s orders will not come from me but from Thrawn himself,” Maul gave you a clear warning, clearly pronouncing each word in order for them to sink in. 

He shut the door in your face, as always, leaving you seething in your own rage in silence until you remembered the two droids in your room, already fussing around the large boxes. You sighed, too tired to argue or do anything, ready to head back to bed until one of the droids stopped you. 

“Oh no, mistress,” it intoned, halting your steps. “We must arrange a bath for you. We cannot allow you to walk around with unwashed hair and grime over your body.”

“I already took a bath,” you snapped, getting agitated at the droid. 

“We must certainly rectify that,” the droid continued, completely ignoring your protests. It seemed whoever sent these droids had given them the programming to continue with the orders regardless of what you said or did. You sighed in annoyance, rolling your eyes as the droid led you back to the fresher. The event hadn’t even started and you were already annoyed and aggravated enough to snap someone’s neck if the droids continued fussing over you the way they did. 

By the time you left the fresher with now washed hair and the droid in tow behind you, the other one had laid out what was hidden in the boxes all over the room, making you stop dead in your tracks when a sight of red color caught the corner of your eye and you turned around to stare at the magnificent dress, the color of ruby, adorned by rose petals and diamonds and many layers of silk and saffron, starting back at you across the room. 

“ _What is this?_ ” you asked, deadpanned while gesturing to the dress. 

“A gift from Master Thrawn, mistress,” the droid answered you, ushering you towards the seat to start on your hair and makeup. 

“I’m not wearing _that_ ,” you exclaimed, your earlier anger returning as well as your annoyance at Thrawn for dictating your choice of wear.

“Master Thrawn had mentioned to us that you were going to say that,” the droid continued, oblivious to your irritation as it started combing through your wet hair. “And he told us to relay to you your earlier discussion with him a few days ago, about your duty to the Empire and your own role at the celebration.”

You made a face, which the droid caught in the mirror. “Shall we play the recording Master Thrawn had given to us in case you’ve forgotten - “

“Force, _no_ ,” you groaned, rolling your eyes. “I don’t want to see his face nor hear his voice,” you sighed, eyeing the dress with obvious displeasure. There was nothing wrong with the dress, it was a beautiful craftsmanship, probably costing thousands of Imperial credits if not more. It was the message it carried that had upset you, given to you by Thrawn himself without giving you any choice like he’d done for the past week, making you feel caged in. The fact that it was the bold color of red had not escaped your notice either, it was the same color as Thrawn’s cape he’d most likely wear to tonight’s celebration, as well as the color of the Sith blade, red just like blood. It was a message, his message to you, that you belonged to the Empire, regardless of what you thought yourself as. He’d certainly make every man and woman at the Gala pay attention to you once you’d make your appearance, the color would stand out amidst all the black and bland colors of the Imperial uniforms. It was certainly the color you’d never pick for yourself either yet here you were, about to don it and parade around like a puppet pulled by Thrawn's strings. 

“How would you like your hair to be done, mistress?” the droid interrupted your silent thoughts and you sighed once more. 

“I don’t care,” you replied, wanting this day to be over with. “Do whatever you feel is appropriate for this event.”

“Up it is then,” the droid replied, and you spent the next two hours in silence, broken only by questions from the droids about your choice on the matter of jewelry and makeup, to which you gave them the same exact answer as the first time. By the time they finished, you were eager to get moving, your limbs stiff from sitting for prolonged periods of time.

You were stripped to your undergarments, both droids helping you get inside the dress, careful in their movements so as to not tear the expensive fabric of it, the material feeling lightweight on your skin. You let them maneuver you, standing in the middle of the room as they zipped you up and let the long skirts pool around you in waves, creating a cascading effect. The finishing touch were the shoes, simple and functional enough to which you sighed in relief. You didn’t think you’d have the patience nor the ability to walk around in heels. A knock on the door resounded just in time when one of the droids draped a shawl over your shoulders, covering up the exposed part of your back. 

“It is time,” Maul announced when the door opened to reveal him standing on the other side, still wearing the same things he always wore, the black garments contrasting against the color of your dress. 

“I suppose you won’t be giving me back my weapons,” you responded, stepping over to him, not even bothering to see yourself in the mirror. ”So that I can run my lightsaber through the bastard’s heart,” you sneered, following Maul through the empty corridors towards the ballroom area located on the opposite side of the Imperial Center. 

Maul gave you a look, but otherwise refrained from responding. You felt the presence of several Inquisitors surrounding you as you walked, so you kept your mouth shut and your eyes ahead of you, nearing the place the event was being held. You could already hear muted sounds of an orchestra playing and buzzing chatter of a large group of people gathered behind the marble doors you were hastily approaching to. More Inquisitors surrounded the entrance to the ballroom but they all parted sideways upon seeing you with Maul.

“Make your way straight to Thrawn,” Maul told you once you stopped by the entrance to the ballroom, on the opposite side of where most of the guests had arrived from. You knew the layout enough to know you’d be walking from the backside of the ballroom, right down the marble stairs that would lead you to the first floor of the room. Thrawn’s throne would be on the opposite side, overlooking the spacious area from his own raised podium. There was no way for you to hide and mingle between the people, everyone would immediately see you walking down the grandiose stairs towards them. You made a face, biting the inside of your cheek. Thrawn liked things to be dramatic, perhaps more so than Vader. 

“And you?” you asked, turning to look at Maul. “You’re not coming with me?”

Maul turned to give you another odd look, raising his facial marking at your absurd question. “I will be where I’m needed, in the shadows and away from prying eyes,” he responded, before gesturing with his wrist to swing the doors open. 

“Enjoy your evening,” Maul said and before you could make a step he dropped his head, whispering the next words in your ear, making you shudder. “And keep away from Vader.”

You turned your head to ask Maul what he meant by those words, but the man already turned on his heels and stormed in the opposite direction away from you, leaving you alone and confused. This was the second time he’d warned you to stay away from Vader and you were thoroughly uneased by his words. Was there something Maul knew that you didn’t? 

You shook your head, turning around to peek past the open doors towards the floor of the ballroom and cringed when you saw hundreds of people already mingling about the room, talking and drinking amidst themselves. You spotted Thrawn sitting on his throne, his hand supporting his head in a mannerism which told you he was either bored or he was actively considering something at the moment, his mind elsewhere. You didn’t miss the dark figure of Vader already present and standing off to the side of Thrawn, engrossed in a conversation with some Moffs and Admirals who wanted to get on a good grace of the Dark Lord, perhaps fascinated that he was still alive and at the same time terrified out of their minds being in such close proximity to him.

You sighed again, there was no point hiding here, at some point you’d have to make your appearance. It wasn’t like you to feel jittery and nervous at the presence of all these people so you squared your shoulders, lifted your head high up and took a big breath of ait before dropping your shawl on the ground and stepping into the spotlight of the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a filler in a sense, until we get to the next chapter, a feast I've prepared to all you lovelies. The moment I've imagined in my head for all these months. 
> 
> On a different note, Vader is still being a jerk in a sense, a very jealous jerk :/ He definitely had mistaken reader's concern for her having feelings towards Maul and I don't know... I feel like that's so much like him to assume that? And outright say it to her face even after everything he'd done to her. 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed this chapter and stay tuned for the upcoming chapter this weekend ~


	45. Color of his heart.*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is just a suggestion but if you wish to play _Across the Stars_ theme song from the Attack of the Clones you certainly can to set the mood about halfway into the chapter. Because that's the song I kept on replay for hours on end while writing and rewriting this chapter and the dialogue between Vader and the reader. I'm sure you will also recognize some parts of the dialogue rewritten to suit this story that transpired between Anakin and Padme in the second movie. With that in mind, I do hope you will enjoy this chapter ^^

You felt their eyes, boring into you as you walked down the stairs. It made you feel self-conscious, worried and incredibly stupid for thinking of things such as _don’t fall down the stairs_ and _please don’t make a fool out of yourself_. You cringed at yourself, so what if you tripped and fell down and made a bizarre move or statement that would embarrass you in front of all these people? You shouldn’t care, not if the whole thing was a hoax in the first place. Let them all believe that everything was fine, that the galaxy was safe, that they can drink and dance and gossip amongst themselves. It will all be over soon.

With that in mind you made your way to the bottom of stairs, keeping your eyes straight, holding a steady gaze on Thrawn who had raised himself from the throne, his own gaze boring into yours with a brilliant smile on his face. The bastard was enjoying the show and you cocked your eyebrow to give him a measured look. You wouldn’t let him walk over you, not in the presence of all these people. If he wanted you to _enjoy_ yourself as he put it, then you’d do it on your own terms and not his. 

The people parted aside, giving you a wide breath as you made your way down the plush red carpet, straight to the podium where Thrawn was awaiting you, with Vader still standing where he was a minute ago, his gaze boring into you through his mask, although you hardly even glanced his way. This wasn’t about him, you reminded yourself. Regardless of what he thought of your well-being, you wouldn’t let him take you away after tonight’s celebration. You had to avoid him, at all costs. Perhaps that’s what Maul had warned you about. 

You stopped at the foot of the podium, fighting an urge to cross your arms over the chest and give Thrawn your most vicious look, but you refrained yourself, simply opting to stand and glare at him, not giving the man an ounce of respect by bowing or curtsying as one would be appropriated to do in this situation. He wasn’t the one who should be standing atop this podium, sitting on the throne that wasn’t his to begin with. Thrawn had caught on your lack of respect, his face twitching slightly but otherwise still remaining smiling albeit more forcefully this time. 

“ _Commander_ [Y/N],” he addressed you, his voice carrying across the vast expanse of the ballroom, drawing the attention of everyone who’d gathered here tonight. You heard the obvious forceful pronunciation of your title, his eyes warning you of the repercussions should you opt to make a fool of him and disregard the Imperial protocols of courtesy towards his own position within the Empire. By all right he could easily have you executed on the spot for your insolence. 

“It is an honor to have you here to celebrate the end of the Galactic War,” he continued. “After all, if it wasn’t for _you_ , then I’m afraid the fall of the Rebellion couldn’t have come sooner than it did. You’ve made the right choice to allow the HIgh Council believe that Darth Vader could be trusted, his own daughter, the General of the Rebel Alliance giving you an order to retrieve him from the prison and transport him to the Rebel’s hideout. I must say, your execution of such marvelous and brilliant plan was exceptional,” he finished, his eyes gleaming.

You kept your face neutral, fighting with yourself to keep still and refrain from hissing at him, the droids hovering over you, filming you and your reaction to Thrawn’s words. This event was heavily recorded, being live-fed to all the HoloNews channels across the galaxy. Vader was right, killing Thrawn now would almost certainly guarantee your own death. You wished more than ever that Maul’s plan was put to action much sooner. To stab Thrawn with your lightsaber through his chest while the rest of the galaxy watched was too much of a tease. Patience, you reminded yourself, that time would soon come. 

“I greatly appreciate your praise, Supreme Leader,” you finally replied, tilting your head down in a fake display of politeness. “I must say even _I_ could not come up with such blatant and exaggerated lies, as you have done so yourself. I must thank _you_ for your efforts to bring the war to its end with _any_ means necessary,” you raised your head to give Thrawn a pointed look, the double-meaning in your words clear as any day. 

Vader shifted in your peripheral vision, sensing the obvious tension between you and Thrawn. You had just outright called Thrawn out for the man’s own foul play in the events leading up to the defeat of the Rebellion, accusing him of orchestrating the downfall of the Rebel Alliance. Thrawn’s jaw twitched, the muscles on his face straining as he tensily smiled back, fighting with himself to hold himself back. There would be hell to pay after tonight, if you managed to survive. You had to find Maul, this plan could not wait any longer, it was either tomorrow that the Shadow Collective attacked or you’d either be sent back to your own crew or Thrawn would simply end up killing you.

“Well,” Thrawn finally answered, his voice strained. “I suppose the celebration had just begun, I would hate to hold the events back with our boring talks. There is no need for further introductions, the galaxy now knows of yours and Vader’s heroic contributions to the might of the New Empire. You are our honored guests, I would certainly hope you’ll enjoy yourself, after all tomorrow shall bring _new_ _affairs_.”

You bowed your head, eager to leave Thrawn’s presence and before he had the chance to say anything else or stop you in your tracks, you turned around and swiftly placed some distance between yourself and him, heading in the direction of refreshments while keeping an eye on the familiar figure of Maul. You needed to speak with him before the end of tonight’s event. You were almost near the table when a male’s voice suddenly called out to you.

“[Y/N], I can’t believe it’s really _you_ ,” you turned around and spotted an officer swiftly approaching you. 

“I’m sorry, do I know you?” you asked, watching the man’s features with your narrowed eyes. He looked just like any other man amidst all the others gathered here, all dressed in their Imperial uniforms, blending in. 

The man shook his head, laughing. He looked a few years older than you. “It’s me, Grice Melne, we were at the Imperial Academy together, graduating at the top of our classes. How could you possibly forget me?” he asked, looking you up and dawn with his own gaze. “I would have never guessed you’d be here, a Commander, not to mention stationed aboard the _Executor_ , Darth Vader’s personal flagship and now a hero and a famous officer that the HoloNews can’t stop talking about. You’ve _changed_ . And I mean it in a good way. You look absolutely _stunning_ ,” the man, Grice, was rambling on, obviously already drunk, a whiff of alcohol carried across to your senses and you frowned. 

“I’m sorry, but I really don’t remember you,” you told him, your gaze elsewhere, still looking for Maul until you spotted another familiar face, and another idea formed inside your head. “If you’ll excuse me,” you told the man, sidestepping him as you made your way towards the Grand Admiral Piett, the man engrossed in conversation with another high ranking officer whom you didn’t recognize nor you cared for. 

“Grand Admiral,” you addressed Piett, halting his conversation, the other officer shooting you a dirty look but you paid no mind to him. 

“Ah, Commander,” Piett exclaimed, turning around to give you a small smile, bowing his head in respect. “Congratulations on your achievements,” he continued and you gave the other officer a look, shooting a glare of your own to let the man know he was not welcomed in this conversation. The other office huffed, but otherwise got the hint and left you be, your focus shifting back to Piett. 

“Please,” you answered, almost scoffing. “I would save your congratulations for someone who’s actually worth them,” you continued just as the server passed you by, offering an alcoholic drink in long elegant glasses, reminding you of a champagne. You quickly grabbed one, chugging the drink in one go much to Piett’s shocked expression, either to your earlier words or your informal behavior at the event, much less so to the superior officer. Your nerves were haywire and jittery as you reached for the second glass. 

“I’m afraid I don’t understand,” Piett finally answered, eyeing you with a worried look but otherwise refraining from mentioning anything about your drinking habits. You’ve never drank to such an extent before, but you needed an extra boost of confidence if you were going to go the route you planned on after tonight’s event and now was the chance to get your plan in motion.

“Didn’t Lord Vader tell you about me leaving the position as an Inquisitor within the Empire ranks to serve the Rebellion?” you asked, making the man blanch upon hearing your words. “I was actually a Commander within their ranks and not just in name like I am now, my thanks to the current ruler of the Empire,” you finished, rolling your eyes. 

“I beg your pardon?” he finally asked, his eyes darting towards the figure of Darth Vader still standing at the base of the podium, now looking straight at the two of you. You turned your back towards Vader, your focus solely on the Grand Admiral.

“And Lord Vader wasn’t captured.” you continued, making a face at the made up lie Thrawn and Palpatine were feeding people. “He actually surrendered himself after his son, Luke Skywalker, was killed by the Emperor himself.”

You finished the glass in one go, now reaching for the third one as another servant passed you by. “Oh, and hear this,” you continued, almost laughing now, the alcohol making you feel fuzzy, the desired effect of it finally kicking in, subsiding your jittery nerves. “The Emperor is actually alive. Thrawn is no more than a puppet, serving a ruler who doesn’t have enough balls to show his wrinkly gnarly old self to his people.”

“You are intoxicated,” Piett snapped, his face constricted in worry and anger mixed together. “Perhaps it’s best if I take you to - “

“Your position is aboard Lord Vader’s ship,” you interrupted the man, your senses sharpening, your earlier laughter dying down as you stared at the man in front of you. “If you had to make the decision, would you obey Lord Vader’s orders or would you rather blindly follow the man who should not be sitting on the throne that was never meant for him?”

“My loyalty is to the Empire,” Piett exclaimed with indignation in his voice, causing several people to turn their heads and look at you. “I will _never_ betray - “

“So you are fine with the way things are then?” you interrupted him again, raising your eyebrow at the man. 

Piett sputtered, his face becoming visibly red. “I don’t quite understand what it is you are insinuating - “

“You admire him,” you continued, watching Piett with all the seriousness in your eyes. “Lord Vader I mean. You respect him. I heard good things about you from him about your character. He holds you in high respect as well, perhaps even admires your loyalty and sense of justice to do the right thing. It is why you’re now the Grand Admiral and not amidst all the ones that had failed and were either resigned or killed after the Battle of Endor. So I’m asking you,” you leaned closer to Piett, lowering your voice to barely above whisper, bringing your lips closer to his ear.

“If Lord Vader were to become the next Emperor, would you follow him?”

Piett stiffened, a soft gasp escaping his lips, but otherwise remained silent to your question. You leaned away from him, watching the shocked expression written on the man’s face. You gulped, your earlier nervousness returning. Perhaps you misjudged the character and Piett was not who he seemed. You took a swing of the drink in your glass and then another until the third glass was all but empty. 

“I-I’m afraid I don’t follow?” Piett finally asked, his own gaze boring into your flushed face.

To hell with it, you thought. You had already dug half the grave, might as well finish and be done with it. 

“If you were given orders to attack the Imperial Fleet, would you do it?” you asked, your voice still quiet, your attention solely focused on the man in front of you. 

“The Fleet?” Piett exclaimed once more. “Why would I be given such orders - “

“In case there was a coup,” you replied, your heart hammering inside your chest. “In case tomorrow was the day when everything would change,” you didn’t have to tell him everything, the man was smart enough to figure out on his own what it was you meant by your words. Piett’s eyes widened, his gaze flickering back to Vader and then down to you. 

“Is that - are those Lord Vader’s orders?” Piett asked, keeping his own voice quiet, obvious nervousness overtaking his features as his gaze darted around you two. 

“No,” you replied, drawing his gaze back down to your face. “Not at all. I was hoping you’d relay that information to him when today’s event comes to an end.”

Piett’s expression morphed into shock. You had just told the man of your plans and expected him to relay them to Vader, the one person who would surely oppose it with all his might. Which is why you needed Piett for that role. Vader would never listen to you, would claim your plan was insane, that you’d die trying to do something so reckless and impossible. You hoped that by the time Vader found out, the plan would already be in motion. You only needed the _Executor_ ’s help for the plan to finalize, for you to have the chance to escape from Coruscant. 

“That - that’s _treason_ ,” Piett finally answered, after he worked his facial muscles to formulate a response. “You are telling me the Rebellion wants _my_ help in destroying - “

“Not the Rebellion,” you scoffed, once again interrupting the man. “There are more than one enemy that wants to destroy the current Empire, one you’d least expect at that.”

“Why are you telling me this?” Piett hissed. “I could have you immediately arrested and executed for treason.”

“You could,” you nodded your head, watching the man with ferocity in your eyes. “But you won’t. Because you want this just as much as I do. You want to have justice and peace and freedom in the galaxy. You won’t achieve that with Palpatine still ruling in the shadows. If you want to have a true peace not marred by wars and false announcements, backstabbing and blackmailing, then you’d want someone else to take the reigns of the throne, someone more capable at that even if that person beliefs he should be the last one in the galaxy to rule the Empire.”

Your eyes caught a whirl of red and black in the shadows up ahead and you focused your gaze to spot a figure of Maul, leaning against one of the columns, hidden from the view of the public, his expression concealed by the hood of his black robe covering his head. You turned your gaze back to Piett, realizing that the man was speaking with you, his eyes probing your face. 

You shook your head, trying to clear the haze in your head from the alcohol. “ _Tomorrow_ ,” you repeated, not giving Piett a chance to respond or give you a definite answer, already striding through the ballroom towards Maul. He caught your gaze with his own, his yellow eyes blazing even in the shadows the closer you got to him, until he scowled his features into a frown. 

“There are hundreds of people around us and you decided to spend it in the shadows with me?” Maul growled once you finally reached him, intercepting another drink on your way to him to which he frowned but refrained from mentioning anything about. 

You rolled your eyes, practically laughing at his annoyance and anger directed at you, as you leaned yourself on the opposite side of the column, directly next to him, while you slowly sipped on the drink, eyeing the mingling people around you with a displeased look on your face. 

“You know, you remind me of Vader,” you said out loud after you two were quiet for a few minutes, simply observing people who paid no mind to the two of you. 

Maul growled, his anger instantly palpable in the Force. “I’m _not_ interested,” he snapped and you turned your head to give him a perplexed look until a realization dawned on you and you burst out laughing, catching the attention of those nearby. 

“ _Be quiet_ ,” Maul hissed, glaring down at you. When you refused to calm down, he growled, pointing a finger at your drink. “Stop drinking those, your attitude when you’re _not_ drunk is enough as it is, you’re quite irritating on most days.”

“You thought I was propositioning to you,” you finally said in between your laughter, trying to contain yourself by muffling the sound with the back of your hand. “Sorry to disappoint you but I have feelings for someone else.”

Maul was silent, his gaze back on the crowd of people in front of him. “It is unwise to love a Sith,” he finally responded and you turned your head to look at him. 

“Where have you been when I needed someone to tell me those words before I stupidly fell in love with one,” you sighed, leaning your head against the column and closing your eyes. “Is it too late to ask for tomorrow’s miracle?”

It took a while for Maul to respond and you opened your eyes, the scene in front of you swimming from the effects of alcohol. 

“Is this really what you want?” Maul asked, his eyes staring at you from the hood of his robe. 

“I may die tomorrow,” you responded instead with a low sigh. “In fact, I am most certain that would be my fate if not by the Inquisitor’s blade then by Thrawn himself.”

You went quiet, switching your gaze back to the crowd, seeking out Vader who was now talking with a very flushed Piett, your heart thrumming in your chest. 

“Vader wants to send me away tonight,” you told Maul. “I can’t let him do that. I can’t let him let me live while he rots away in this prison, despite all that he’s ever done was hurt me. I can’t let him sacrifice his life to repent for his sins. He _must_ live. He has to, in order to finish what he should have done back on the Death Star above Endor.”

You turned your gaze back to Maul, pleading with your eyes. “It has to be _tomorrow_ ,” you told him. “Otherwise it’ll be too late - “

“Everything’s in place,” Maul told you, his voice barely a whisper. “If that is your wish, then tomorrow it shall be.”

You stared at Maul with wide eyes, your heart wildly beating inside your chest. “I never understood why the Siege of Mandalore was not successful, why you retreated your forces and disappeared for decades afterwards. What _really_ happened?”

Maul shifted, the hardness in his gaze intensifying with each of your words. “ _Sidious_ ,” he hissed, spatting the name like venom. “ _He_ is what happened.”

You considered his words, watching his eyes for your answers to your many questions. “And will tomorrow be any different than that day?” you asked. 

“Yes,” he answered, his gaze switching to something in the distance, his body instantly tensing. You followed his gaze to see Vader hastily approaching the spot you and Maul were hiding in, his steps quick and firm, the aura around him menacing. 

“What have you told Vader?” Maul hissed, his voice a growl as he spun to glare at you. 

“Nothing,” you squeaked, finishing your glass in one gulp, ready to flee from the spot and hide away from Vader until the next morning. 

“ _Stay away from him_ ,” Maul warned, his voice carrying an underlying threat, one you couldn’t place as you tore yourself away from him and started weaving through bodies of people, hastily placing a distance between you and Vader who was clearly making a headway towards you. Your heart skipped a beat when you turned your head to see him gaining speed, his pathway cleared as people parted away from the Sith Lord, making you stumble in your own step, tripping over your dress, your head spinning from the amount of alcohol you consumed. You finally made it out of the ballroom, past the startled Inquisitors, practically running full speed in your attempt to get away from Vader, making a beeline towards gardens and lower levels of the Imperial Center. You turned a hallway and then another, running through the empty halls, until you stumbled upon a secluded spot, a balcony hidden from the view, overlooking the lush gardens below and the illuminated skyscrapers and traffic of the Coruscant up above, the sight catching your breath. It was a magnificent view, the night sky contrasting with the soft glow of lights, creating an ethereal effect on you. You watched in silence, your eyes wide, your breaths still coming out in puffs from your earlier exertion but you felt calm and relaxed and - 

“It is futile to try and run away from me,” Vader’s unmodified voice startled you from behind and you whirled around to stare at his uncovered face, his mask and helmet in his one hand, his eyes boring into you as he stood at the entrance to the balcony. 

You were trapped, your back pressing against the railing, the wind softly caressing your exposed skin and your curls as you silently watched Vader who did the same, his eyes traveling down your body, his gaze darkening. You swallowed a lump in your throat, taking a shuddering breath of air, willing yourself to relax. Vader’s eyes finally snapped to your face, narrowing them as he stepped forward.

“What was it you were discussing with Maul?” he asked, his voice carefully controlled, his rage simmering below the surface. 

“Nothing,” you shrugged, keeping your own voice level and your breathing even, even if on the inside you felt like screaming and running away from him. 

“ _Nothing?_ ” Vader hissed, planting another step. “I suppose you’ll also tell me you were discussing mere frivolities with my Grand Admiral?” Vader barked, his voice taut. 

You drew a sharp breath. “Piett and I were merely discussing our views on politics and our obvious similarities - “

“ _Do not lie to me_ ,” Vader’s tone was threatening, the Force swirling around you in warnings and for the first time in days you felt your connection with Vader come to life, his emotions distinguishable through your bond with him and all you felt was his rage and anger and below it all, his fierceness to want to protect you, merging borderline of hopelessness that he couldn’t do even that. 

“What were you _thinking_ ?” he continued, practically yelling at you, his features dark and menacing. “You will cease these foolish attempts _immediately_ and board the shuttle I have prepared for you that will take you aboard the _Executor_.”

You huffed, straightening yourself as you glared at Vader. “ _No_ ,” you told him, conveying in your tone that your decision was final. 

“That is not your choice,” Vader snapped, advancing on to you until he stood right in front of you. “You do not have a say on that matter. You were careless and heedless in your ways, drawing an unwanted attention to yourself and had made a scene in front of Thrawn, causing his wrath to fall on you. Do you realize - “

“I don’t care,” you told him firmly, clenching your teeth.

“You don’t care that he plans on killing you?” Vader snapped, all of his pretense of trying to contain his rage dissipating, his anger now solely directed at you. 

“That won’t happen,” you reassured Vader, unfazed by his anger for once since the whole incident with him choking you. Perhaps it was the alcohol that made you feel relaxed in his presence in the otherwise tense situation. 

“Indeed it won’t,” Vader growled. “Because you will be leaving here at once.”

He made a notion to reach for you but you drew away from him, your back painfully hitting against the balcony railing and you hissed from pain, stopping his arm mid air. 

“I told you I won’t be going anywhere,” you argued, shaking your head. “Everything is already in motion - “

“ _Everything?_ ” Vader repeated, his eyes narrowed. “You spoke with Piett about another enemy of the Empire, _who?_ ”

“He was supposed to wait until after the events of tonight to tell you of this,” you sighed, looking at Vader’s enraged face.

“You planned on this,” Vader continued, gears clicking in his head as he placed the missing pieces. “The marks on your skin, your obvious _alliance_ with Maul, your _training_ with him - you are planning on sabotaging Thrawn’s plans - “ he trailed off as the realization dawned on him, his eyes going wide.

“You cannot possibly think your little plan will work,” Vader said with a deadpan expression on his face, his shock briefly overriding his rage. “You will be killed - “

“I am a dead woman regardless of the situation,” you calmly reminded him, raising your eyebrow to give Vader a pointed look. “At least now I have a choice to decide how I want to spend my life and how to end it. If it means helping the galaxy get rid of the monster, then I’ll do it in a heartbeat.”

Vader’s face darkened, his rage overtaking him once more. “ _You will do no such thing_ ,” he roared, making you flinch from the volume of his voice next to your face. 

“You don’t get to decide that - “ you started to which Vader unexpectedly grabbed your shoulders, in the process dropping his helmet and mask on the ground next to your feet, as he squeezed you in his tight grip, shaking you and making you gasp in surprise. 

“You cannot trust Maul to keep his end of the bargain, whatever deal you’ve made with him will backfire on you. He is a Sith, first and foremost, his own ambitions and goals will override whatever promise he’d made you - “ Vader quickly started, speaking with desperation in his voice uncharacteristic of him. 

“You speak from your own experience then?” you asked him, earning a low groan from Vader as he uttered a curse under his breath.

“I will _always_ keep my promise to you,” Vader squeezed you tighter. “I won’t let anyone harm you - “

“Then _trust_ me to do what I think is right,” you whispered, making Vader falter in his heated speech, his gaze hard on your face. 

“ _Trust_ ,” Vader spat the word as though it was a poison. “You’d dare to use the same word you accused me of robbing you with my actions?”

He was right, you had told Vader that you trusted him and him breaking that trust when he charged on you with his blade back on the ship which resulted in him choking you in a slip of his own control. But regardless of his actions, the time spent apart had shown you that you still deeply cared for him, loved him to overlook that mishap, still trusting him to keep his promise in keeping you safe.

“Yes,” you told him, barely above a whisper. “I won’t back down from this. I _will_ fight you if you decide on dragging me aboard your ship. I won’t let you take me that easily.”

“I can simply knock you out,” Vader said with a haughty tone, the look in his eyes confirming his words. He’d do _anything_ to get you out of here even with your silly promise he easily disregarded as a mere joke. 

“I’m serious,” you told him, huffing in annoyance. “If you do that I will _never_ forgive you - “

“We are past the point of you ever forgiving me,” Vader said with a tinge of regret coloring his voice. “I don’t think one more strike against me will ever change that. I will do what I must to protect you even if you’ll hate me for it.”

Vader’s hand grabbed your arms, insistently tugging you as he started advancing towards the exit of the balcony. You dug your heels, fighting him as you tried to wrestle yourself from his steeled grip, all your efforts ending in naught. Vader was physically more powerful than you’d ever be. 

“Vader, _please_ , don’t you see this is the only way,” you started pleading with him, your own desperation clear in your voice. “This is our chance of ending this. If we kill Thrawn then the only one left standing would be Palpatine. All you have to do - “

“No,” Vader barked, as he turned around and slammed you against the wall, on the inner edge of the balcony, the shadows and towering figure of Vader cast in black hiding you both from the unwanted eyes. 

“I won’t let you die too,” Vader hoarsely muttered, his voice breaking, making your own heart clench at his emotional display, your bond with him flaring as you felt his emotions surrounding you. You felt his own heartbreak, sense of utter hopelessness and regret mixed in, making Vader’s actions that much more justifiable when you saw the glint in his dark eyes, silent tears threatening to escape them as he wrestled with himself for a semblance of control. 

“I _can’t_ let you do this,” he whispered, raising one of his gloved hands to softly trail his fingers along your cheek and you subconsciously leaned into his hand, craving his touch. Your action made him pause, his eyes searching your face, his gaze becoming impossibly more darker, inner want overtaking his other senses. 

The connection you felt with him and the closeness of his body so near your, pressing you against the hard wall had made you _feel_ again, your core clenching despite your brain reasoning with you that this was _wrong_ , that you should be repulsed or even scared of his touch yet you let your emotions overtake you and you leaned yourself closer to him, wanting to feel him once more for the last time.

“This is madness,” Vader groaned, trying to pull away only for you to grab him by his belt, your hands long freed from Vader’s grasp as you laced your fingers through the loops of his suit, pulling him closer. “You told me you’d never let me touch you after - “

Maybe it was the alcohol after all, your head swimming when you pressed Vader closer to you, your body craving his touch, your core clenching from the mere thought of Vader around you, _inside of you_ \- 

“Please don’t hurt me again,” you softly murmured, burying your face into his chest, hiding your face now streaked with your own tears. “I can’t - I don’t think I’ll be able to forgive you again.”

“You _forgave_ me?” Vader asked, his shock clear in his voice at the absurdity of it all. 

“Yes,” you whispered, wishing you could feel his body under your touch, let your lips trail down his chest. “I’ve forgiven you.”

Vader was silent, his own response was a slow draw of his shaky breath, his other hand now sneaking behind you, loosely falling on the small of your back as he pressed you closer. 

“You shouldn’t have,” he finally responded after a while. “I’m not worthy of your forgiveness. I’ve done nothing _but_ hurt you, how can you possibly forget it all and - “

“I can’t forget it,” you interrupted him, your voice muffled. “I will never forget but I - I _need_ you. I want to trust you again, so _please_ \- “ you weren’t even sure what it was you were pleading him with but you didn’t want this moment to end, you safely tucked away in the corner, surrounded by Vader’s presence, his arms around you, his heartbeat next to your ear, erratically beating from your proximity to him. 

Vader shifted as though trying to pull away again and the only thing you could do to stop him were to say the words you’ve wanted to tell him after your last dream, with your small perfect family in a perfect world, safely tucked away in the bed with Vader’s hand on your large swollen stomach, carrying his child.

“ _I love you_ ,” you breathlessly told him, making him halt his own breathing, his body tensing at your words. 

“You - _love_ me?” he finally asked after what felt like an eternity to you, his voice hoarse and unsure and so _pained_ you felt like crying. 

You stayed silent, afraid to raise your head and see his expression, unsure what it was he was really feeling upon hearing your words, afraid to look up and see his eyes and to know if he really loved you back like he’d told you back on the _Executor_ or if it was all just a lie. 

“I thought,” Vader’s voice cracked. “I thought we had decided to break things off,” he started, his words paining you even more. “That we should have _never_ started this in the first place. That our feelings were clouding our judgments, making us - _me_ do things that made us both regret our decisions.”

You finally raised your head, finding his eyes boring into yours, the yellow in them completely gone replaced by the color blue you loved so much, now much darker in the shadows of the night, an abyss you could stare for forever like looking into a deep ocean in the middle of the night. 

“I know,” your own voice broke. “I _know_ \- I just - I just wanted you to know. And that this confession doesn’t have to change _anything_. My feelings for you will never change even after what you’ve done. I didn’t know it then but I was already in love with you, before you told me so yourself - “ you trailed off, searching his face with your gaze. 

Vader was silent, his eyes never leaving your face, his grip on your back tightening as he pressed you against his chest, the rough surface of his box and control switches digging in through the fabric of your dress but you paid no mind to them. Your focus was solely on him, the hard lines of his face now softened by the Coruscant light sparkling in the distance of a cool night.

“I - you shouldn’t love a Sith,” his voice was a whisper, carried across by the soft wind. 

“It’s already too late for that,” you replied just as softly, smiling through your tears, inching yourself closer to his face with each spoken word. “I truly - _deeply_ \- love you and before tomorrow I wanted you to know that.”

Something crossed Vader’s face, a recognition of sorts and an unknown emotion passing over his features, his eyes going wide for a split second watching your face, the hand on your back gripping the fabric of your dress, pulling you closer before he lowered his head, meeting you halfway as his hot lips collided with yours, sealing you in a soft kiss. 

It was different than before, his lips working around yours, slow and sensual, pleasure coursing through your body at the intimate contact with him, your hands gripping his belt as you tried to close the nonexistent space between your bodies. Vader was slow with his movements, the kiss taking your breath away but for different reasons, the explorative touch of his tongue making you whimper against him as he explored the insides of your mouth, playing with your tongue until the kiss turned into a fervent frenzy, your lipstick smearing over his lips as he hungrily devoured you. 

You gasped for breath when your back collided with the hard wall, his body pushing against yours, pinning you in place, his knee coming up between your legs until he hit the sweet spot between your thighs, eliciting a low moan from your lips which he caught with his mouth, hungrily devouring it. Your head was spinning, a mixture of alcohol and lack of oxygen making you dizzy, making you feel hot and throbbing and needy and you wanted _more_. You looked for friction, any of it as you started rubbing against his knee, the many layer of your dress skirt preventing you from fully feeling him between your legs but you received a needed response, a low groan from Vader’s throat, his hands roaming over your body before settling on your hips as he finally pulled away, both of you gasping for breaths. 

“Wrap your arms around my neck,” he told you, his voice tight and low, his need pulsing in the Force and slamming against your own. You did as he told you, holding on to him as he ruffled the layers of your skirt, his movements disarrayed and frantic, cursing under his breath at the complexity of the dress until he finally reached the underskirt, his gloved fingers grazing your exposed skin on the inner thigh and you whimpered, biting your lip as you gazed at Vader, his own gaze dark and consumed by his own need. 

He didn’t even warn you, his fingers tearing the material of your underwear, removing the unneeded fabric from his path until his fingers found your folds, already slicked from your arousal and you moaned, rolling your eyes in the back of your head as he insistently started moving inside of you, thrusting his gloved digits in and out, coating the outer layers of his glove with your fluids which neither of you cared at the moment. You loved his fingers, loved the feel of them inside of you, stroking you in all the right places, eliciting erotic sounds from your throat that you tried to contain by biting your lips. 

“Vader, p-please,” you begged him, focusing your eyes on him, filled with desire. You couldn’t even coherently formulate the words, all your focus was drawn to his fingers in between your legs, moving at a fast pace.

Just as abruptly as it started, Vader withdrew his fingers to your soft cry of displeasure, his hands settling on the sides of your thighs, palming the skin under his grasp. “Hold on tight,” he rasped and you complied, grasping his cape with your fingers as he lifted you in the air and you immediately wrapped your legs around the small of his back, grinding your exposed core against his codpiece and trying to create some friction between your bodies. 

Vader groaned, pushing you further into the wall, his hand going down to his belt and unbuckling it, letting it fall on the hard floor of the balcony with a thud along with his lightsaber and then he fumbled with his codpiece, unzipped the material of his leather suit and you felt his erection pressing against your wet entrance, consuming all of your thoughts with a feel of his cock rubbing against your wet slits. You both moaned in unison, savoring the feel of each other against one another, your bond humming in anticipation, loud and insistent for you to consummate the act.

With an impatient thrust of his hips, he was inside of you, stretching you with his thickness, making you gasp as you clenched your inner walls around him, a slight burning sensation accompanying his sudden intrusion. He stilled, letting you accommodate to his large size, his breaths harsh on your neck as he sucked on the skin, drawing low moans from you until you bucked your hips, wordlessly telling him you were ready for him. 

He started moving, setting a hard and insistent pace, ramming his hips against you, sounds of skin on leather reverberating through the air, mixed with the sounds of harsh breaths and low moans, accompanied by occasional grunts from Vader as he continued to thrust himself with a sense of desperation in his movements, his own desires and need consuming his reason. You tried to stifle your moans, burying your face into his neck, muffling your sounds with your mouth against his shoulder guard as he switched his pace, now moving with much slower but deeper thrusts, hitting the certain spot inside of you that made your toes curl from pure ecstasy and your walls clench around him, earning new sets of groans from Vader.

You were whispering incoherent things to him while he continued his movements, his cock sliding in and out of you with ease, his length covered in your fluids with the wet sounds squelching in between his thrust which should have made you embarrassed but instead only spurred you on, the heat of the act and the idea that anyone could easily walk in on you had made you lose your mind, wanting to feel him spill his seed inside of you.

Maul’s warning resurfaced from the hazy depths of your brain but it instantly evaporated as Vader rolled his hips, making you cry out from pleasure rocking through your body, silence be damned, your mind far too gone to care if anyone had actually heard you. No one in their right mind would want to walk in on Vader engaged in such activity, let alone live to tell the tale. You grasped his neck guard, rocking your body against his, your breasts rubbing through the fabric of your dress, your nipples hard and throbbing, wishing you could discard the dress in a pile and let Vader have his way with you with his hands and mouth, pleasuring you the way you wanted. 

“D-don’t p-pull out,” you breathlessly moaned, squeezing his member with your inner walls, your core heating up, the knot forming and ready to explode at any moment. You were so _close_. 

Vader groaned, increasing his pace once again, his movements becoming erratic and hard, slamming his hips with such intensity that rocked your body against the wall, almost painful enough that you hissed, tensing around his length. 

“ _Vader_ ,” you moaned, rolling your eyes in the back of your head as you finally exploded, your core spasming around his length still moving inside of you through your orgasm, coaxing intense pleasure out of you as the world around you tipped back, your surroundings muffled as you rode through your intense release.

“ _Fuck_ ,” Vader moaned, his voice hoarse as he stilled inside of you with a final snap of his hips, his cock throbbing and pulsating inside of you as you felt his hot seed spilling in and filling you up, some of his cum gathering at the base of his cock lodged inside of your folds and leaking around it, dripping down your thighs. You felt a pure sense of relief, a sort of abandonment leaving you feeling thoroughly spent, as though the act itself had made you drop a heavy weight from your chest, making you feel free and elated. The Force hummed in approval, its tendrils weaving through you and Vader and it lulled you in a trance, your world once again tipping back but this time with a vision behind it while you were still connected to Vader.

_“It’s a boy,”_ _you heard your own voice, addressing the figure in black standing in front of you until the haze cleared and you saw Vader standing in front of you, minus his suit, looking at you with a puzzled expression on his face until your words dawned on him and his face erupted in a smile, the biggest one you’ve ever seen him wear._

_“You - you are sure?” he asked, placing his hands on your stomach, the bump just starting to stick out._

_“The med droid confirmed it,” you smiled back, watching his hands running alongside your stomach, marveling at the size of his hands on your skin. Soon your stomach would be larger than that, his hands looking smaller compared to the swollen size of your pregnant belly._

_“A boy,” Vader breathed, still looking down at his hands connected with your skin. “Have you thought of the name?” he asked, finally looking up at you with a sheepish expression on his face which made him look much younger than his actual age._

_“No, “ you laughed. “I just found out the gender as you did. You think I had the time to come up with a name?”_

_Vader frowned, looking back down and your smile disappeared, replaced by a worried expression on your face. “What’s wrong? Is it the gender - did you want a girl - “_

_“What? No,” Vader sharply said, his eyes snapping back to yours. “Don’t ever think of such things. I’d be happy with any gender as long as you and the baby are healthy.”_

_“Then what is it?” you asked, placing your hands on top of his, drawing his gaze back down to your joined hands laying on top of your stomach._

_“It’s - it’s foolish,” he finally answered, shaking his head. “Forget I ever brought this up - “_

_“Vader,” you sternly told him, dipping your head to catch his gaze. “Tell me, please. Remember, no secrets?”_

_He sighed, his hands twitching in his display of nervousness, one trait you’d recently learned from him the more you got to know him. He twitched his hands a lot, more so around you than anyone else._

_“If - and only if - you haven’t come up with the name, then perhaps,” Vader trailed off, before shaking his head. “I’d like to name him Luke.”_

_Your eyes widened at his request and he hastily continued, “Only if you are okay with it, I do not by any means want - “_

_“Okay,” you agreed, interrupting his tirade. “Luke it is then.”_

_Vader’s own eyes widened. “You don’t have to agree with me just to please me, you can name our son any name you want - “_

_“I like Luke,” you nodded your head, smiling at him. “An honorable name in remembrance of the most famous Jedi the galaxy had ever known, right after his own father, of course. It’s an honor to name our son after him.”_

_Vader stared at you in silence until another smile broke out on his face, blinding you in its intensity. “I love you,” he whispered, cupping your face in his freed hand as he brought you closer to him to plant a kiss on your lips._

_“I love_ you _,” you whispered back, returning his kiss._

You gasped when the vision ended, grasping Vader’s neck, your body still connected to him as you spasmed around him, softly whining into the crook of his neck with Vader groaning from your own overstimulation overwhelming him. He roughly pulled out, making you cry out from the sudden movement, his seed spilling out of you and dripping on the floor of the balcony, your walls still clenching the air from the loss of feel of his girth inside of you, making you whine as Vader carefully placed your feet on the ground, supporting your weight with his hands, your knees weak and on the verge of collapsing. 

He ran his hand down your face, wiping the remnants of your lipstick from your lips, his gaze searching yours until you both locked your eyes on each other. 

“Are you alright?” he finally asked, his hand now trailing up to your hair, its style all but ruined, your hair falling around your face, slightly sticky from sweat at the base of the neck. “I didn’t hurt you, did I? I wasn’t too rough - “

“No,” you hastily interrupted him, shaking your head. “No, it was good - _amazing_ actually. _Thank you._ ”

Vader gave you a perplexed look before he shifted and zipped himself up, replacing his codpiece and then lifted his belt with the Force, clipping it around his suit just as you did the same, adjusting the skirts of your dress and trying to make yourself somewhat manageable enough to be adequately presentable to the public. 

“You spaced out for a minute there,” Vader remarked and you visibly stiffened, drawing his attention to you, noticing your obvious discomfort. The vision was so vivid you were almost certain it was real. 

“I - it was just a very powerful release,” you lied, blushing profusely at your choice of words, hoping your embarrassment would eat away the nervousness and tension you felt, tricking Vader enough to drop the subject. You didn’t know why the Force kept showing you these visions. What was the point of them? You felt now was not the appropriate time to dwell on them as you glanced up to see Vader still watching you with narrowed eyes.

“I see,” he finally replied, straightening himself out. 

“Vader, I - “

“We must leave immediately,” he started, interrupting you again, his voice returning to a hard and commanding tone and you instantly tensed.

“Vader, I won’t go anywhere with you,” you told him, staring at him with a hard look.

“You won’t sway me with your words,” Vader started and you once again interrupted him, sneaking your hand to wrap it around his large one, the one he was pleasing you with just moments ago, his glove still slicked from your fluids. 

“This is _my_ decision,” you told him, keeping your voice hard. “You must learn to _let go_ , Vader. Learn to _trust_ me. So please, let me do this my way.”

“I can’t lose you,” Vader’s voice broke once again, his hand squeezing yours in a painful grip. 

“You won’t have to,” you shook your head. “If everything goes according to plan, then neither of us will end up dead, except for Thrawn. And you won’t be suspected of killing him.”

“I don’t like this,” Vader growled, his eyes blazing with anger. “You went behind my back and orchestrated a plan without first consulting me - “

“And you would have done the same exact thing,” you pointed out, sighing. “Just promise me you won’t get in the way.”

“I will give you no such promise,” he snapped. “I have yet to agree to this plan. If anything, I am still considering knocking you out and whisking you away from here.”

You laughed, earning a glare from Vader, his mood souring even further. “I missed this,” you told him, leaning your body closer to his, burying your face into his chest, inhaling the smell of leather and mint that accompanied Vader everywhere he went. “I missed _you_ , really.”

You wrapped your arms around his back, drawing small circles with your hands, comfortable in the silence between the two of you.

“ _I’m sorry_ ,” Vader’s words surprised you, the meaning behind them crystal clear yet Vader felt the need to elaborate, wrapping his arms around your back, his own head falling in the crook of your neck. “For everything. I’m sorry for hurting you - for breaking your trust - for making you doubt me - for letting you see me in my worst state. _I truly am sorry._ ”

“I know,” you told him quietly, the truth in his words humming in the Force. “Which is why I forgave you.”

Vader was silent, breathing in your own scent, his arms tightening around you. “I won’t let Palpatine near you,” he whispered with intensity, startling you with his words. “I will kill him, I promise. And then I’ll come back to you.”

You smiled, because you knew Vader had accepted your decision without outright saying it. He was saying his goodbyes, knowing that tomorrow he might not have the chance to say them. Neither of you knew what tomorrow would really bring. 

“I’ll be waiting,” you whispered, planting a soft kiss on the side of his neck.

“I have something for you,” Vader shifted, lightly pulling you away from him to present you with a ring, the same one that acted as a cloaking device he’d given you back on Mustafar and the one you’ve worn on the _Executor_. He must have kept it with him, taking it off your finger when he’d taken you to Vjun. You had completely forgotten about it. You looked up in confusion to see Vader staring at you. 

“I modified it,” he told you, grabbing your hand and placing it on your finger. “You shall be able to access the location of your crew by tapping on it. I planted a holographic map inside of it that will lead you to them.”

You were surprised by his words, starting down at the ring. “You’ve managed to contact them, then?” 

“I managed to send a decrypted message to Artoo,” Vader confirmed. “I’m sure that by now the whole galaxy is aware of my return to Coruscant and the lies Thrawn had spread about my involvement with the Rebellion’s defeat, and such information had ultimately already reached the location Leia is hiding at. It will all depend on what Leia ultimately decides on. I cannot control her decisions. I am only hoping whatever she decides on will be a wise choice that won’t endanger her life. And you shall help guide her in making the right decision.”

“ _Me?_ ” you incredulously asked, raising your eyes to give Vader a panicked look.

“Don’t worry,” he chuckled, sensing your unease. “You are more than capable of dealing with her. After all, she did inherit my worst qualities and you seem to be doing just fine handling them.”

You were not so sure yourself, giving Vader an unimpressed look to which he smirked, raising his hand to trail his fingers along your cheek. 

“You were quite beautiful tonight,” he admitted, making you instantly heat up, his words warming your insides as did his slow caresses along your skin. “The red color suits you.”

You smiled. “The color of the Sith,” you told him, to which he shook his head, his eyes boring into yours with the intensity you knew only he possessed. 

  
“No,” he argued, dipping his head lower, his lips brushing against yours. “The color of my heart, which now belongs to _you_ ,” he whispered, sealing you in a kiss and you fantasized for a moment, that your dreams had finally come true, that everything was alright in a world that was far from being perfect. You wished more than ever that this moment would never end, forever being held in Vader’s arms, feeling his lips on yours and revelling at his touch. You wished it was all true.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are officially about more than halfway through the story inching closer to 3/4. I'm expecting to finish writing this story by the end of fifth part (and we are halfway through the fourth part). This monstrosity took me about 20 pages to write (one of the longest chapters I've ever written) and I'm now past the 400 page mark and I'm just floored with how I'm so addicted to this story that it keeps me going to finish it all thanks to your kudos and comments my lovelies ~
> 
> I had always imagined this scene to take place even before starting to write this story and I'm so incredibly excited that I finally got to share it with you. I do hope you liked it just as much as I did writing it. This is by far my most favorite chapter. Expect an additional surprise from me which will be posted in a few days. Kudos <3


	46. Promise.

“Where are you taking me?” you asked the two guards, the shadow Inquisitors that had been following you everywhere you went for the past week, that were now taking you somewhere shortly after you woke up in your room, unannounced and without the presence of Maul. You knew without needing to ask that the most likely place they were taking you would be towards Thrawn’s throne room or somewhere equivalent to that. You had been expecting that after all. You knew Thrawn would be making a move before you had the chance to leave Coruscant, although that ship had sailed long before last night was over when you vehemently declined Vader’s offer to take you off the planet and send you away towards the last known location of the Rebels, specifically to Leia Organa and your crew. And just as you expected, the guards had refused to answer any of your questions so the rest of your short journey was spent in silence. The only worst part about the whole situation was the fact that you were presently cuffed, your wrists bound in the Force-dampening cuffs in front of you.

You were stopped in front of another set of doors and before you had the chance to compose yourself, the doors flew open and you were pushed inside with enough force to make you stumble in your step. You scowled when your eyes set on the standing figure of Thrawn, his back faced towards you with his hands clasped behind his back, standing in front of the large window overlooking the Imperial Center’s lower grounds, composed of several hundreds of stormtroopers and equivalent numbers of artillery and other Imperial machinery all jumbled together in one large mass, quite impressive in their size.

“Would you look at that,” Thrawn's voice finally cut through the silence, still watching the procession below and not paying much mind to you. “All of this power and it’s all _mine_.”

You refused to answer, instead opting to quickly assess your situation. You were inside what looked like a command center, empty except for yours and Thrawn’s presence and several Inquisitors positioned around the room, their weapons drawn but not ignited. You did not see Maul amidst the shadows of the room and your stomach churned, an unpleasant feeling creeping up your spine. Vader was not present either. 

“You must be wondering why I ordered for you to be brought here,” Thrawn continued, finally turning around, his red eyes immediately settling on you. You were silent, waiting for him to continue.

“It was brought to my attention that unfortunately we have an enemy within our ranks,” he started, keeping his gaze on you as he slowly started advancing towards you. “Someone I would have least expected to be, considering the stakes this person set in order to betray the Empire.”

You held your breath, watching Thrawn as he circled around you, keeping his hard gaze on you with an unsettling smile on his face. “And especially considering _who_ this person had betrayed while planning to overthrow _me_ ,” he finished, finally stopping in front of you and roughly grabbing you by your chin, forcing you to look into his eyes. 

“Tell me, dear [Y/N], was it worth it?” he hissed, spitting the words out with venom. “Was it worth it to sentence the one person you _love_ in this forsaken world to _death_?”

“What are you talking about?” you asked, keeping your fear carefully locked away under the pretense of calm indifference while on the inside you felt like screaming, your insides churning from immediate apprehension settling over you. 

“You have told your plans to Grand Admiral Piett,” Thrawn continued and your eyes widened. _No, this couldn’t be._ You trusted the man, trusted Vader’s word that the man was like no other Imperial, that he was loyal to the just and fair form of the Empire, not twisted by lies and manipulation, that Piett would serve Vader should the plan come to fruition and succeed. 

“You are shocked,” Thrawn sneered, tightening his grip on you. “I am quite surprised you would trust someone you’ve barely met, expecting them to hold loyalty to someone who had abandoned their post within the Empire to join the Rebellion and sell all of the Imperial secrets to them. You are far too naive than I took you for.”

You curled your fingers into fists, drawing blood from the inside of your palms at how hard you were squeezing your fists together, just to prevent your body from shaking from both ultimate shock and hopelessness that your plan was falling apart. 

“I have told you, didn’t I?” he continued, smiling down at you. “That once I have met an idealist Rebel such as yourself. That their fate was the same as any other I’ve come across. _You_ _are no different from any of them._ Your fate will be decided by the decision you make today, the decision that will either cost yours of Lord Vader’s lives.”

“What?” you croaked, your eyes wide. 

“Ah, here comes the best part,” Thrawn continued, squeezing your jaw, making you gasp from pain at how hard he was holding on to you. “I cannot allow Lord Vader to be left alive after learning of your plan to make him a new ruler - “

“He never agreed to that,” you exclaimed, trying to writhe yourself away from his grasp. “He does not want to become the new Emperor - “

“Ah, so you’ve _had_ this conversation with him,” Thrawn continued, interrupting you mid sentence. “Regardless of his desires and wishes on the matter, the fact that you both have conspired against me will cost you both your lives, one way or another. Starting with _him_ ,” he hissed, letting go of your chin as he switched his hold on your hair, yanking it as he spun around to drag you closer to the window with you yelping in protests behind him, writhing from more pain around your skull. 

“There is nothing more mightier than _this_ ,” he hissed, pressing you against the window so you could closely watch the procession below. “Do you honestly believe there’s an enemy out there in the galaxy that can beat the power of the Empire? You should have learned your lesson, _girl_ , when you witnessed the destruction of your precious Rebel Alliance. There. Is. Nothing. Out. There. I will destroy every one of them who dare to cross their paths with me. And I will start with the destruction of your precious friends and that pesky General Organa.”

You winced when he yanked on your hair once more, forcing you to look into his eyes. “I know you possess the location of the rest of the Rebel’s scum. You will take me there once I’m finished with Lord Vader.”

You tried to get freed, only for your hair to twist up more in Thrawn’s grasp, making you cry out from pain as you fought him. “You’re delusional to think _this_ belongs to _you_ ,” you screamed at him. “Palpatine _will_ kill you once he gets what he wants - “

“He will _thank_ me once I rid the galaxy of Darth Vader and you, along with the rest of the Rebellion,” he sneered. “Something I should have done long before I’d let you all step a foot on Coruscant. Don’t worry, you will get a chance to say your goodbyes to your friends while I execute them in front of your eyes. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same for Lord Vader.”

He twisted you forward once more, pressing you against the window as he towered over you, his face nearing yours. 

“Can we confirm the location of Lord Vader?” he calmly asked while smirking, the mad look in his eyes scaring you as it reflected back through the glossy surface of the window. 

“Yes, Supreme Leader, according to our sensors Lord Vader is currently approaching the Imperial Center in sector B-6. We have a visual on his shuttle,” one of the Inquisitors informed him as you finally caught a glimpse of Vader’s Lambda-class T-4a shuttle, heading directly towards the sectioned area below, meant for his arrival. 

“What are you planning?” you asked with a panicked voice, finally starting to realize that Thrawn was indeed planning something that you were not going to like. 

“Any last words?” he asked, sneering at you as you writhed in his hold, watching as the shuttle finally descended, the ramp slowly lowering down. You held your breath, your eyes wide.

_Vader, there is something -_

You saw his form descending down the ramp, his black cape billowing behind him, your thoughts jumbled as you tried to warn him of his imminent danger, the Force screaming at you to act and before you had the chance to finish that thought, the shuttle exploded, blowing up in rapid explosion, black smoke raising in the air. 

You couldn’t believe your eyes, watching the scene below you in complete stupor, your shock immobilizing you, your brain having a hard time processing what just transpired before your very eyes. You couldn’t see Vader amidst all the smoke, ignoring the commotion around the burning shuttle as several of the Imperial personnel ran around in haste, trying to put out a smoke. You couldn’t even feel him in the Force. _You couldn’t feel him -_

You let out a gut wrenching sob, finally realizing that the silence you felt on Vader’s end wasn’t that of him simply cutting off his bond with you like he’d done so many times before. This time it was pure silence, an empty void on his end, as though he was simply snuffed out from the face of the galaxy, never existing before. Your heart sank, realizing with brutal honesty that Vader was _dead_. 

“No…” a soft whisper, your knees buckling under you as you tried to collapse on the floor, only to be forcefully yanked back up by Thrawn's hold, supporting you upright by holding on to your hair. 

“ _NO!_ ” you screamed louder, trying to twist away, yelling obscenities at the man holding on to you with a painful grip as you fought him. “You _monster_! You will pay for this! Let me go! Let me - “

Thrawn twisted you around, grabbing your mouth in painful hold, muffling your screams as tears started streaming down your face. 

“The news of Lord Vader’s passing will soon be known to the rest of the galaxy. A tragic accident orchestrated by the hand of some rogue Rebels, otherwise labeled as terrorists to the rest of the galaxy,” Thrawn started with a calm voice. “The galaxy will be enraged, the people will demand justice for killing off their warrior who managed to end the Galactic War. A fitting end to Lord Vader, don’t you think? His death will only force people to realize that total annihilation of the Rebellion is unavoidable to ensure peace and security to the New Empire.”

You stared at Thrawn with wide eyes, not comprehending his words, your grief overtaking your senses. 

“The might of the Force is _nothing_ compared to the strength of the Empire. A lesson Lord Vader never seemed to learn even while serving his old master,” Thrawn continued. “You _will_ take me to the location of your Rebel friends, one way or another. Refuse to do so and I will make sure you will _personally_ suffer by my hands.”

He finally released his grip on you and you instantly spat at him, fury blazing in your eyes. “ _Screw you_ ,” you hissed, spitting the words out, which earned you a hard slap against your face as you toppled to the floor from his attack. 

“Do not test my patience, I’m not nearly as forgiving as Lord Vader and just as cruel as Palpatine,” Thrawn leaned over you. “You cannot win against me. I have destroyed your hope in ever achieving your wish of getting rid of me. You are _hopeless_ , you are _nothing_. Without Vader, you are simply trash, unfit of ever becoming anything more than a Rebel scum.”

He leered over you, his eyes a mad blaze staring down at you. “But perhaps, if you still decide to refuse my generous offer, we can come up with alternative solutions to your compliance,” Thrawn continued, motioning for the Inquisitors to come closer to you. “There are _other_ ways to take what I want, with _any_ means necessary, even if it involves you succumbing to my full power while you writhe under me, moaning _my_ name instead of Vader’s.”

You watched in complete stupor as the Inquisitors continued to advance towards you, your hopeless situation quite clear to everyone in the room. You had no chance of escaping and no chance of beating all of them without your weapons. Even if you were able to access the Force, which you couldn’t, not in the situation you were currently in, bound with the Force-dampening cuffs, your best attack was to possibly push them a few feet away which gave you enough time to reach the door. But there were more of them awaiting your arrival in the corridors of the Imperial Center. And what was the point of escaping anyways if Vader was… You couldn’t finish that thought.

You didn’t have to when another explosion rocketed through the building, smoke and fire billowing on the other side of the Imperial Center. Thrawn immediately straightened himself out, heading towards the other side of the view port to assess the situation. 

“What is this?” he hissed, motioning with his hands down to something on the lower level you couldn’t quite make out from your spot sprawled on the ground. Another explosion sounded much closer, this time shuddering the walls of the building and then finally the sirens started blaring across, indicating an intruder. 

“I need a report,” he yelled, glaring at the Inquisitors who were already scrambling in their positions, some of them running toward the door to assess the situation and get a clear idea of what was going on. 

Just as the red blade had slashed through their bodies before they had the chance to step foot outside the command center. A buzzing sound of a lightsaber had drawn your attention to the figure standing at the threshold, the dark hood obscuring the face of the intruder. Yet even a non-sensitive user did not need the Force to know this was Maul, his double-bladed weapon immediately giving him away from the rest of the Inquisitors. 

“What is the meaning of this?” Thrawn hissed, stepping closer to the Sith. “You dare to cross paths with _me_ ?” he continued, sneering at the Zabrak male. “After everything I’ve done for you you _dare_ to betray me?”

Maul did not answer, twirling his saber in his hands, his obscured gaze findings yours, focusing on you. You held his gaze, your eyes wide. 

“So you have chosen the weaker side,” Thrawn sneered, scoffing at Maul as he motioned for the Inquisitors to ignite their blades. “It is truly a pity to see you succumb so low as to play a hero for the mere Rebel scum, a traitor and a liar who will betray you in a heartbeat.”

Maul growled, his eyes finally snapping to Thrawn’s enraged face. “ _You_ have chosen a far worse side than me,” he sneered, baring his teeth at the Chiss. 

“Kill him,” Thrawn ordered, signaling for the Inquisitors to attack. 

It was a whirl of blades slashing from all directions at Maul, who sidestepped all of the Inquisitors’ attacks to snap his blade in half, now holding two of the blades in his hands instead of one. And just like that, you witnessed the mighty power of the other Sith in all its glory, his movements filled with both fury and malignant grace, parrying each of the enemy’s attacks with his own, while swiftly offering his own lines of attacks back at them. He managed to slash at two of the Inquisitors in the span of less than a minute and you watched wide eyed, mesmerized in your own stupor while watching the battle unfold in front of you. 

You were roughly grabbed by your side, and you cried out in startled shock, your gaze finding Thrawn’s enraged face scowling down at you. “Get up,” he hissed, pulling on your arm as he pushed you on your feet. You stumbled in your step as he grabbed a hold of you, holding on to your neck as he pressed your back against his chest, his other arm wrapping around your midsection as he pressed something hard against your chest and you realized a second later that it was a blaster firmly set between your ribcage.

“Get moving,” he hissed, pushing you with his body as he neared the exit to the outside of the command center amidst all the chaos around you, with Maul continuing his deadly battle against the remaining Inquisitors. He spared you a quick glance, before his focus was shifted once more on the battle in front of him. He was in no position to help you while fighting for his life. It was up to you to get out of Thrawn’s clutches. 

“Keep moving,” Thrawn hissed, hastily pushing you through the hallways of the Imperial Center, with more explosions rattling the place. Screams resonated around the place with distant sounds of shooting. Someone was attacking the Imperial center and you had a fairly certain idea who it was. The Shadow Collective finally made their move. 

Thrawn finally neared the Throne Room. with several dozen Inquisitors already surrounding the area. Upon seeing Thrawn, they all resumed their positions, their gazes boring into your skin through their masks, making you feel their murderous intentions.

“Guard the entrance,” Thrawn snapped before pushing you through the doors into the room. “Let no one in. Kill anyone who tries to enter the room, _especially_ Maul. He is now a traitor to the Empire,” Thrawn hissed before locking the door behind him, leaving you all alone with him in the lonely room. 

“Your plan _will_ fail,” Thrawn snapped, sneering at you as he advanced on you, backing you further into the room. “Just because you had the element of surprise does not give you the right to win. My soldiers _will_ destroy this insurgence, Maul _will_ be killed and you _will_ give me the location of your Rebel friends and that of General Organa,” he pronounced each word with venom in his voice, focusing on the word ‘will’ with each of its pronouncements. 

“Now, tell me where they are hiding,” he hissed, backing you against the podium at the far corner of the room, against the throne sitting on top of it and overlooking the vast view of Coruscant behind it, now filled with smoke and fire all around the Imperial Center. You saw several ships circling the area, battling the Empire’s own naval crew. The sight was ghastly. 

“ _Tell me_ ,” he snapped, raising his blaster to point at the center of your chest.

“Is this the best you can do?” you sneered, baring your teeth at the man, your eyes blazing with hatred towards the man. “Throw a tantrum because something did not go your way, waving a blaster in my face - “ 

You did not get to finish that sentence as you were hit with the back of the blaster against your face, your lip instantly splitting from the contact of metal against your skin and you hissed from pain, managing to stay standing but not for long. Another hit, now at your abdomen, and you toppled on the ground, softly moaning from the pain radiating from the hit, your senses clouded as you tried to catch your breath. You felt nauseous, your lip bleeding, a trail of blood dripping on the marble floor. 

“If this is how you want this to continue, then I shall oblige,” Thrawn sneered, raising his foot, preparing to strike you down until a beeping noise interrupted you both, startling Thrawn as he looked towards the middle of the room, staring at the holoprojector positioned at the center of it, signaling an incoming call. 

By the look on his face, which had darkened considerably, his features constricted in worry, you had a feeling that the call was unexpected, someone he was surely not anticipating to hear from. He straightened out, stiffening his form as he neared the holoprojector, answering the call. Your feelings were confirmed when your eyes landed on the hooded figure of none other than Palpatine himself, staring at you with his sickly yellow eyes through the hologram, chilling you to the bone. 

“Lord Sidious,” Thrawn bowed, his nervousness carefully hidden from the Sith Lord. “To what do I owe the pleasure - “

“I sensed the disturbance in the Force,” Palpatine’s raspy voice had cut through, his eyes still boring into you, making you still your own breath, the thick presence of the Dark Side enveloping you. You couldn’t properly breathe, as though Palpatine was in the room with you, choking the breath out of your lungs. 

“Yes, my lord,” Thrawn raised his head, a proud look on his face. “You would be pleased to know that Lord Vader is dead.”

“ _Dead?_ ” Palpatine rasped, his voice betraying nothing, his face covered by the shadows of his hood over his head, except his eyes, which were now focused on Thrawn. 

“Dead,” Thrawn confirmed. “He was a threat to our - _your_ Empire. He was plotting on overthrowing me and becoming the new ruler. He was too dangerous to be kept alive - “

“You had disregarded my _specific_ orders,” Palpatine snapped, instantly shutting down Thrawn’s speech with the livid look in the Sith’s eyes. 

“My lord, I meant no disrespect - “

“And what of the girl?” Palpatine continued, dismissing Thrawn’s attempts to amend, his eyes once again settling on you, making your insides churn, the nausea becoming overwhelming as you gulped for breath, trying to combat the unsettling feeling in your stomach. 

“She is of no use to us,” Thrawn continued, more cautious with his words than before. “She had organized the attack on Coruscant with none other than Maul himself. He is a traitor and must be dealt with - “

“I _need_ the girl,” Palpatine snapped once more, talking of you as though you were not present in the room with them. 

“Once I extract the needed information from her on the location of the rest of the Rebels, specifically Leia Organa then her usefulness will come to its end,” Thrawn answered.

“I do not care for the Rebels,” Palpatine hissed, his raspiness becoming more pronounced. “The girl will _live_ , her usefulness is far from being over.”

“My lord - “ Thrawn started but suddenly was interrupted by a startling noise, a cough erupting Thrawn’s chest as he struggled for breath, choking on the invisible hold around his throat.

“It appears _your_ usefulness had come to its end,” Palpatine rasped, his sickly eyes boring into Thrawn. “Not once, but _twice_ , you had disobeyed my orders, acting on your own whims, transgressing my goals and the future of _my_ Empire,” Palpatine snapped, his eyes blazing with fury, applying more pressure on Thrawn’s neck, who was wheezing and choking in the otherwise silent room while you started helplessly at him from your spot on the ground. 

“You have _failed_ me,” Palpatine hissed, raising Thrawn from the ground with unseen Force, the Dark Side whirling around you, snapping the man’s neck with a cracking noise, rendering Thrawn dead on the spot. 

“It is unfortunate,” Palpatine sighed, dropping the Chiss’s body on the ground as though he was merely a broken toy and not a body of a Supreme Leader, killing him with such ease that you had a hard time believing Thrawn was really _dead_. “He could have outlived his usefulness for much longer.”

His eyes finally landed on you, his gaze hard and unsettling, the Force still whirling around you in a storm. You stayed rooted to your spot, unable to move, unable to speak. Palpatine had just killed Thrawn through the holographic image. You have never heard or witnessed such a thing before. If he was capable of doing such a thing, what else could he possibly do? What other hidden powers did he possess? You were no match for him, you realized that long before you laid your eyes on him.

“Rise,” his raspy voice had called out and you tensed, your limbs refusing to listen to you. And just as suddenly, you were lifted off the ground and brought next to the imposing image of the Sith Lord standing over you, glaring down at you as his holo image towered over your small form. 

“I have been expecting you,” he continued, making your insides freeze with his words. “You have something of mine which belongs to _me_ ,” he rasped and you shivered, instantly becoming aware of how cold the room was. “And you shall give it to me when the time comes.”

You didn’t know how you managed to find your voice but when you did, the words just tumbled out of your mouth. “What the kriffing hell are you talking about?”

A cackling laugh erupted from the Sith Lord, chiling you to the bone, his yellow eyes never leaving your face. “You shall soon find out,” he continued, his voice becoming more raspier the longer he talked. 

A noise outside had startled you, its increasing volume signifying that a battle was raging outside the room. Perhaps Maul had finally made his way towards you, you couldn’t be sure, your focus solely on Palpatine. 

“When the time comes, you will willingly come to me,” he continued and you sneered despite the situation you were in. “I have foreseen it. Your _future_ now belongs to _me_.”

The door swung open, startling you once more, your eyes darting towards the person who had just barged inside the room, expecting to see anyone but _him_. Your eyes widened when you realized who was inside the room with you, his own eyes wide as he found your gaze until his focus snapped to the towering image of Palpatine next to you, still holding you in his Force grip.

“Ah, Lord Vader,” Palpatine turned his gaze towards the suitless Vader, standing unharmed and _alive_ , panting from the exertion, his grip tightening on his ignited lightsaber. “Back from the dead, I see.”

“Release her,” Vader growled, glaring at Palpatine with a menacing look in his eyes, the Force swirling in warning around you. Yet, you still could not feel him in the Force, your link with him snuffed out and it made you feel confused and helpless and despite everything else _elated_ \- 

Palpatine laughed, his voice reverberating through the walls of the Throne Room. “The plan is already in motion, my foolish apprentice,” he hissed. “You have no power to stop it, nor save _her_ from her ultimate fate. We shall meet again, soon.”

And with that, the call ended, the image of Palpatine disappearing from the holoprojector, basking the room in darkness as the Force hold on you finally released and you dropped on the floor in an ungraceful mess, still reeling in an aftershock of what you’ve just witnessed. 

“[Y/N],” Vader was by your side in seconds, kneeling next to you as he dropped his lightsaber next to him, his eyes scanning your body as you watched him back in complete stupor, your mind still blank. He flicked his wrist to unclasp your cuffs, freeing your wrists from the bonds, to which you were immensely grateful for. “Are you hurt? Did he harm you? Your face - ,” he hissed, his gaze growing hard when it settled on your split lip, the blood still trickling down your chin. 

When you still refused to answer him, Vader’s concerned features turned into frown. “What did Palpatine tell you? Never mind that, don’t believe anything he said,” he hastily added, shaking his head, droplets of sweat running down his face from his earlier exertion at battling the Inquisitors, his hair plastered to his forehead. “He is a master of manipulation, anything he says is a lie - “

“You are _alive_ ,” you finally croaked, interrupting Vader mid sentence, his frown deepening when he gave you a questioning look. 

“Of course I’m alive,” he finally responded, still watching you with the look that told you he was unsure as to how to respond to your statement. 

“You are _not dead_ ,” you stated, your voice void of any emotion as you stared at Vader.

Vader stared back, his eyes scanning your face, his face twisted in concentration. “You are in shock,” he deduced, sighing as he rubbed his face with his gloved hand. 

You shook your own head, your focus finally zooming in on the real world around you as your senses finally snapped back to present. “I watched the shuttle blow up, I watched _you_ walking down the ramp and - “

“A diversion,” Vader interrupted you, his voice tense, a hint of guilt notable in his tone. “I had to stage my own death in order to partake in your insane plan of overthrowing the ruling government of the Empire by killing Thrawn,” he continued, his gaze sweeping past you to stare at the lifeless figure of Thrawn laying on the ground in a heaping mess, his neck twisted at an odd angle. “Although it seems _that_ part of the plan had already been accomplished.”

“A _diversion_?” you quietly asked, not believing the words that left Vader’s mouth. 

“I was not aware of the attack until hours prior to Thrawn’s men rigging my personal shuttle with explosives,” he explained. “It was a chance I had to take in order to fool Thrawn into believing he finally killed me. The man you saw walking down that ramp was _not_ me.”

You bit back a choke, the numbness you felt in your soul now replaced with a fiery anger directed at the Sith Lord in front of you. “And you couldn’t have told me about that?” you snapped, growling at him. “It didn’t cross your mind to warn me of _your_ plan? You deliberately let me believe that you - that you actually _died_?”

“Your genuine reaction to such news is what made it believable,” he responded and you gaped at him. “I felt your sorrow and despair in the Force. My plan worked - “

You didn’t let him finish that sentence as you growled in a high pitched voice and flung yourself at him, toppling Vader on the ground, the momentum of such action startling him as he fell back on his back with a shocked gasp, the air leaving his lungs as you jumped on top of him, straddling his hips. 

“You kriffing _bastard_ ,” you screamed, beating him with your fists, managing to land a few strikes while Vader was still dazed from your unexpected action at jumping him. “Is this all a game to you? You thought you could _use_ me, use my emotions to your advantage? You kriffing son of a bantha - “

When your fist finally collided with Vader’s jaw was the moment when he’d had enough of your antics and with a growl of his own he effortlessly flipped you on your back, pinning you to the ground with his body, holding on to your wrists above your head as he leaned over you, his legs now stradling your hips. 

“That’s _enough_ ,” he growled, staring down at you with an enraged expression on his face, while taking large breaths of air, trying to calm himself.

“Don’t you realize how kriffing messed up that was?” you finally screamed, tired of trying to wring yourself from his steeled grip on you. “I really believed that - that you _died_ ,” your voice finally broke, the stream of tears finally breaking free as you gasped for breath, choking on your emotions. Perhaps the most humiliating part of it all was letting Vader see your breakdown, see how truly weak you were while crying your heart out.

“Kriff - _don’t_ ,” he stammered, his grip on your slackening as his own face twisted into dismayed expression. “Please _stop_. I’m sorry, okay?”

His words only made your breakdown escalate, your gasps turning into wheezing breaths as you struggled to catch air in your aching lungs, your vision obscured by tears. 

“I’m sorry,” he repeated, his voice much closer to you until you realized he dipped his head, hot breath on your neck, making your skin tingle, sending pleasurable vibes down your body despite your soft crying. “You are right. My decision to withhold this information from you was unwise but I truly believed I was doing the right thing by acting on my own,” he continued in a low voice. 

“It pained me just as much to learn of your own plan with Maul without first consulting me,” he added as an afterthought. “I couldn’t bear the thought of you potentially sacrificing your life while you truly believed that you were doing it for my own good. You must understand that I couldn’t let you do this all on your own. Even with Maul’s help, you couldn’t have possibly beat all the Inquisitors alone even with the help of the Shadow Collective, which I might add, is possibly the most reckless thing you could have come up with since my first time meeting you.”

You were silent, absorbing his words, your thoughts wildly whirling in your head. Vader shifted on top of you, his head now right above yours, his eyes meeting your own gaze. “Can you forgive me once more for my growing number of sins that I tend to make in your presence?” he asked, a slight smirk gracing his lips while his gaze stayed hard, watching you intently under him. 

“Only if you promise me one thing,” you finally answered, your tears finally drying. Vader gave you a nod of his head to continue. “Promise me you won’t die.”

His eyes widened. “You do realize everyone eventually dies?” he asked with a haughty tone and you felt like punching him again, the look on your face conveying that his answer was _not_ the answer you were expecting to hear. 

He sighed, momentarily closing his eyes. “I will try to keep that promise,” he finally answered, his voice barely above a whisper, before snapping his eyes open. “Only if you promise me the same thing.”

You faintly smiled, recalling Palpatine’s words to you, about your uncertainty in the future, of his threat to Vader. There were so many stakes to consider, so many variables that could influence the course of your fates. Would it be too much to try and believe that you both would actually survive this ongoing war with Palpatine? You truly wished for your dreams to come true, to have a normal life with Vader with a small family of your own. 

“I promise,” you whispered because you could lie too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I rewrote this chapter several times with different outcomes of how Thrawn would end up dying. Because I planned on killing him in this chapter regardless of the outcome. It revolved with the reader killing him, or his own Inquisitors or Vader. But what stood out to me in this version was the unexpectedness and ruthlessness with which Palpatine disposed of his most trusted subordinate, because that's exactly what Palpatine would do if you tried to cross him and try and foil his plans. Thrawn's death is justifiable in that sense, because he tried to do something that went against Palpatine's orders. To me his death was that much more enjoyable to write and made that much more sense coming from Palpatine himself. I'm sorry if you didn't agree with how he died and the outcome of this chapter. But Thrawn was never meant to be the ultimate antagonist of the story. It was always Palpatine and he has his ulterior motives we have yet to learn of.
> 
> On the other hand, "killing" Vader was my other thought and I wrote that scene before I changed the whole chapter and it stuck with me. Idk, it just made sense to keep it there? We'll learn more of what happened with Piett and Maul in the next chapter which will be filled with more action! Stay tuned ~
> 
> P.S. I do hope you are not angry with me o.o''


	47. The insurgency.

“What a disturbing sight,” Maul’s voice carried across the room and both you and Vader raised your heads at once to find the Zabrak make leaning against the door frame of the Throne Room with a quizzical expression on his face, his facial markings above his eyelids raised as he stared at the two of you across the room. 

Vader growled, instantly raising himself from the position Maul had caught you two in, with him still leaning over you, his legs straddling your hips, his head mere inches away from yours. He was _that_ close to kissing you, or perhaps it was vice versa when you leaned your head towards him to close the distance between your faces. Now you were embarrassed, your cheeks heating up as Vader helped you get to your feet, while you refused to show your face to Maul. He had just caught you two in the most awkward position you could have possibly been found amidst the ongoing battle that still raged outside the Imperial Center. You had almost completely forgotten about it from your encounter of Palpatine, to Thrawn’s swift death to Vader’s arrival, everything just jumbling together in the span of a few minutes. 

“Perhaps I should leave you two to tend to your needs, while the rest of Coruscant deals with the insurgence,” Maul spat, which immediately irked Vader as he hissed at the other male. 

“Do not test my patience,” Vader growled back. “It was you who had deliberately left a horde of scum for me to kill while you pranced around the place.”

“I do _not_ prance,” Maul hissed, his eyes flashing in anger. “If it wasn’t for my initiative to act on the threat of _your_ life, then you wouldn’t be standing here sulking by killing a few of the said scums.”

“I am not _sulking_ ,” Vader snapped, taking a menacing step toward the other Sith. “And you do not need to remind me every chance you get about your said attempt to warn me beforehand of the apparent attempt on my life.”

“Clearly,” Maul drawled, rolling his eyes while you stared at them both with your mouth open, trying to process what the kriffing hell was going on. “Let’s not forget about an unfortunate fellow who had volunteered to take your place. Your Commander surely thought it was _you_ who died on that shuttle,” he finished with a sarcastic tone, snapping you to your senses.

“Wait a minute,” you interviewed, your embarrassment quickly fading away. “You two are _working together?_ ” you asked, not even trying to hide the fact that you thought the possibility of such a thing was highly unlikely if not impossible. To think that Maul and Vader teamed up - _that_ was surely a joke. 

“For a time being,” Vader answered, grinding his teeth as he stared at Maul. “Although, I am starting to reconsider my irrational decision to work with that _animal_.”

“Watch your words, young _Skywalker_ ,” Maul growled and if you weren’t standing between the two men, you were sure that Vader would have already struck the other man down with his saber, which he had drawn from the floor with the Force in his blinding rage, igniting the red blade. 

“Do you wish a swift death?” Vader hissed, his eyes blazing in pure anger. “Repeat those words _again_ , and I can promise you I shall make your death more painful than the one you’d given to Qui-Gon Jinn.”

Maul snarled, baring his teeth. “How very _touching_ of you to remember the long forgotten Jedi Master,” you had to push your hands against Vader’s chest to keep him at bay. 

“ _Stop it_ ,” you screamed, drawing both men’s attention to you. “Let’s first get out of here _before_ you try to kill each other off.”

“I second that idea,” Maul drawled and Vader’s jaw ticked, but otherwise he stayed put, simply giving Maul one of his deadly glares, which the Zabrak male ignored, his gaze now focused on the motionless figure of Thrawn behind you. “I see you succeeded in killing him. It is rather unfortunate I was not present to witness that.”

“Neither have I,” Vader answered with a tight voice, drawing Maul’s attention back to him with a questioning look in his eyes. “Sidious had disposed of him in our stead. It seems he has another goal in mind,” Vader finished, his eyes flickering to you. 

You felt a spike of trepidation in the Force, but this time it wasn’t coming from you or Vader, but from Maul himself and when you turned your head you saw him looking at you with an unreadable expression on his face, his eyes wide. 

“ _Foolish girl_ ,” he hissed, quickly advancing towards you and startling you with his abrupt anger, but before he could make another step he was crossed by Vader, his figure towering between you and Maul. 

“Watch it,” Vader growled, inching his blade closer to the other Sith. “You have yet to answer for your deeds. Do not force it upon yourself for me to kill you while your usefulness is still valuable to me.”

Maul growled, his eyes narrowing as he stared at Vader, the ait filled with yet another tension, more strenuous than the last. His eyes flickered to you, standing behind Vader’s back. “I have warned you to keep your distance,” he hissed. “Yet you disregarded my warnings. Whatever happens next is caused by your own doing.”

You were about to interject with your own line of questioning, wanting to get to the bottom of Maul’s warnings, his attempts to keep you _protected_ , as he worded it, misplaced with the bewildered meaning behind his words. That was until Maul’s comlink beeped, startling the tense moment in the silence of the room. 

“What is it?” Maul answered the call.

“There are more of the troopers coming your way,” a woman’s voice could be heard on the other end, her voice strained. “I suggest for you to move out immediately - “

“Which way?” Maul interrupted and you could hear an unmistakable sound of blaster shots in the distance followed by a few grunts of someone close to the person on the call.

“Everywhere,” the woman answered. “It appears you are surrounded. Another ship just entered into the planet’s orbit. My only guess is that someone on the inside had signaled for help. The Shadow Collective won’t be able to hold off for much longer, we’ve already lost half of the numbers. If we do not leave now, I’m afraid our pathway will be blocked by the Imperial blockade.”

“That won’t happen,” Vader snarled, grabbing a hold of you as he spun your around and marched towards one of the walls, pressing a button off to the side of it, revealing a secret passageway hidden within the artwork of the Throne Room. “Get in,” he pushed you in while giving Maul a meaningful look, silently telling the other man to tag along if he wanted to survive this day. 

“So, since when did you two become _allies_?” you asked after trekking through the dark tunnels with Vader hastily walking in front of you, the deafening silence interrupted by the sounds of his heavy boots slapping against the stones. 

“You misunderstand the urgency of simply working together for one goal as being allies,” Vader answered you, his aggravation and annoyance leaking into his voice. 

“Regardless,” you shook your head. “The fact that you’re tolerating each other’s presence is quite remarkable,” you continued, earning a glare from Vader when he turned his head to look at you. 

“ _Tolerating?_ ” he sneered, shaking his head. “That is not the word I would use in these circumstances. I would say the same to you about your apparent fellowship with Maul,” he said and you heard a note of jealousy in his voice. 

“Just for the record, I have no interest in him in any way besides the common goal we shared of killing Thrawn,” you replied, deciding to clarify any future misunderstanding should Vader perceive your willingness to work with Maul as anything more than what you simply were. The enemy of your enemy was your friend, as the saying went. 

“Good,” Vader’s clipped tone drew your attention to him but he already turned his head away from you, focusing on the task at hand. The slap of another set of heavy boots behind you had signaled that Maul had finally caught up to you. 

“Someone had tipped us off,” Maul snarled, palpable tension rolling off his body. 

“It could have been Thrawn,” Vader replied, his voice clipped. “Or it could have been Palpatine himself.”

“Now what?” Maul snapped. “Our plan involved _my_ men causing a diversion while _you_ had your chance of setting score with Thrawn. Now the whole Imperial Army is after us.”

“Not necessary,” Vader replied, his voice smug. “I still have control of the 501st Legion.” Otherwise known as Vader’s Fist. Everyone had at least once heard of the legendary clone battalion, that was once under the leadership of the Jedi General Anakin Skywalker during the Clone Wars. The elite stormtrooper legion was loyal to their commanding officer, the Dark Lord of the Sith, even after Vader had abandoned his post after surrendering himself to the Rebellion at the end of the Battle of Endor. Vader trusted his legion more than he trusted anyone else, the likelihood that the troopers would ever betray the trust and incur the wrath of Darth Vader was minimal to none. 

“The _Executor_ is still under my command,” he continued and his words brought a jolt of recognition as you remembered something that Thrawn had told you prior to his death. 

“Vader,” you slowly started, tugging on his gloved hand that was holding on to you. “Piett was the one who told Thrawn of our plan - “

“I’m aware,” he interrupted you, refusing to stop. “I’m the one who told him to relay that information to Thrawn.”

Wait, _what_? 

“What? _Why_?”

“Because Thrawn was already suspicious of us,” he replied. “Because doing so ensured that he placed his trust in the wrong person. It ensured that I had a double agent right amidst his men without him ever realizing that it was all a set up. Piett is _my_ loyal officer, he had always been one. Which is one of the reasons he had told me of your plan before last night was over,” he finally turned around, giving you a pointed look. 

Maul snorted behind you and you turned to give him a glare of your own, quite fed up with the way the Sith was acting. He made absolutely no sense and his earlier meltdown was still baffling to you.

A distinct call of comlink signaled that Vader was comming someone on his end until the distinct voice of a stormtrooper had answered his call.

“Sir?”

“Is the pathway cleared towards the lower levels of the Center?” Vader asked, sharply turning a corner, making you stumble in your steps as you blindly followed him with heavy footsteps trailing behind you as Maul threaded in tow with his glare still on your back. 

“Yes, sir,” the trooper answered. “Although we ran into some problems, mainly the insurgents of the attack.”

“I do hope you’ve taken care of such a problem,” Vader hissed, threat clear in his voice. “I do not want any surprises.”

“Yes, sir,” the trooper answered. 

“Good. Prepare a ship for my arrival,” he ended the call with his command.

“These are _my_ men,” Maul suddenly snarled, pushing you out of the way as he advanced on Vader, making him pause in his steps. “Did you give orders to your battalion to attack them?”

“There are certain sacrifices that had to be made,” Vader snapped back, tension running high between the two Sith as they glared at each other in the darkness, both of their sabers drawn and ignited. “Your men never had the chance of winning in the first place. They are a simple diversion. Do not act as though you give a damn about their lives while covering behind me, asking for _my_ help in defeating Palpatine.”

Maul finally snapped, drawing his lightsaber into attack, swinging his blade in Vader’s direction. Vader simply sidestepped the attack, growling as he twirled his blade, looking for an opening to attack. There was hardly any room for them to move, let alone fight and you instantly stepped between them, keeping your focus on Maul with visible apprehension in your eyes. 

“ _Stop this_ ,” you hissed, tired of their childish antics. “This does no good to anyone if you actually managed to kill each other off. We have a whole Imperial Army to deal with.”

“It has already been decided that _I_ will be victorious in this battle,” Vader cut in and you turned around to give him an unimpressed look, glaring at him with annoyance in your eyes. 

“ _Really_ ?” you snapped. “Maybe instead of boasting about your combat skills, you can put your brain to use and realize that we all need each other to get out of this mess. Preferably _alive_.” 

“ _Fine_ ,” Vader hissed, his jaw ticking in anger. “But you both will follow my lead. _You_ were the one that got us all into this mess in the first place. I warned you this would happen,” he was looking at you and you refrained from rolling your eyes. Here he went again, unhappy with your decisions, blaming everything on you and justifying his anger issues. 

“We’ve wasted enough time,” Vader snapped, resuming his hasty pace and you silently agreed with him. You had to get off the planet before more of the Imperial Navy showed up and blockaded the exit off the planet’s surface. 

The rest of your short journey was spent in silence, with Vader leading you through the sets of twisted passageways, easily maneuvering through the labyrinths of secret tunnels. He knew the layout like the back of his hand. So when he abruptly stopped in front of one of the openings in the wall, you knew you reached your destination. Vader paused, surveying the area with his telekinetic powers, looking for any disturbances in the Force just as you did the same. You felt nothing beyond the solid wall but that hardly meant that the danger had passed you. Even with Vader’s 501st battalion, there was plenty of danger just from the sheer number of stormtroopers and more Inquisitors searching the place for you and Maul. 

“Give back her weapons,” Vader instructed, not looking at Maul but clearly addressing him. “She will need them.”

You turned to look at Maul with a questioning look in your eyes as you watched him slowly reach below the inner layers of his Sith robes and retrieving your weapons in his hand. He hesitated for a second, his gaze flickering to yours, his eyes narrowing as he handed back your lightsabers and you hastily took them from him. You felt an uneasy feeling creep back up your spine from the way Maul was looking at you, his rage simmering below the surface. He was clearly upset over something you’ve said or done in the past day since you’ve seen him last, yet he still refused to elaborate more on the subject, as he shifted his gaze, his stance once more locking as he looked past you. 

“Do you have the ring I gave you?” Vader suddenly asked you, interrupting your inner turmoil as you turned to him to find him gazing at you. 

“Yes, I have it with me - “

“Put it on,” he instructed. “And under no circumstance should you take it off while we are separated. This will be the only thing keeping your Force signature hidden from Palpatine.”

“Vader - “

“No,” with a stern look he interrupted you once more. “You will listen to me on this one. Put it on. Do not access the hidden compartment until you are safely boarded on the ship and away from Coruscant,” he gave you a pointed look, secretly telling you about the hidden map he’d implanted inside the device for you to access the location of Leia Organa and your crew. It appeared that Vader did not want Maul to know of such things either, he simply did not trust the man and neither did you. You hesitantly nodded, slipping the device on your finger, immediately feeling its cloaking presence enveloping your senses and muting your Force presence. 

“Once we are out in the open, you will stay close to me,” he added. “Do not deter from me under any circumstances. We will only have limited time to get to the docking bay and get you on the ship.”

You nodded, the dire situation making your insides clench with apprehension and promise of a battle up ahead. “I’m ready,” you told him, clenching the hilts of your sabers in your hands.

Vader nodded as he turned his gaze behind you to look at Maul. “You will take a different route to the landing platform.”

“I will not take orders from _you_ ,” Maul hissed. 

Vader simply narrowed his eyes. “We cannot be seen together. I must keep a pretense it is _you_ who is escorting her to the designated spot. Let them believe there’s only one enemy to focus on. I trust you can handle this on your own?” 

The question hung open in the air as the two Sith glared at each other, tension running high when finally Maul hissed, a clicking noise inside his throat as he accepted Vader’s terms. Vader adjusted the hood of his cloak over his head, hiding his face from the unwanted eyes. Regardless of the circumstances, even he must have realized that he could not be seen aiding you in your escape. If he were to resume the position of Supreme Leader as the next in line to claim the throne, he had to remain in the shadows. His so-called “death” just helped him aid in that regard, no one would suspect that Darth Vader himself was involved in the insurgence against the Empire. 

He rushed through the door, you hastily followed behind him, keeping your eyes open for any imminent danger. Your pathway was clear until you rounded the corner, running head on to the group of Inquisitors positioned behind the sliding doors that would lead you to the docking bay, a meeting place Vader called to have his ship be ready for him. 

You wanted to turn back and head the other way to avoid another gruesome battle but the enemy had already seen you, more than dozen of Inquisitors igniting their blades and charging at you.

“You are no match for _my_ power,” Vader growled as another explosion rattled the place from the outside, this time shaking the ground, the debri from the ceiling falling around you, creating a dusty smoke and a poor visibility around you with just the sights of glowing blades lightening the otherwise dark hallway. With your vision impaired, your senses now solely relied on the Force and its guidance through the thick smoke and your focus solely on the Force signatures around you. You felt the same stroke of power around you as what you felt back on _Executor_ when dueling with Vader, building up inside of you, ready to be unleashed but before you could act on it, you felt another surge of familiar power radiating off Vader and before you could place the sense in all the madness, the Inquisitors around you were all thrown against the walls, their bones cracking at the impact with the hard surface. 

“Force - how are you _doing_ this?” you exclaimed, Vader’s Force signature once again snuffed out from its existence. 

“You could not feel me in the Force until now,” Vader turned his hooded head towards you. You simply nodded, still confused. 

“It is to be expected,” he simply answered, resuming his hasty paste. “There is no device in the galaxy that can fully contain the extent of my power while in use.”

“What?” you asked, furrowing your eyebrows while running after him. 

“I had modified my own cloaking device,” he continued. “Enough to erase my Force presence from the world. It had to be done in order for me to do what I had in mind. But apparently not enough to fool Palpatine into believing that I died.”

You simply shook your head, keeping your anger directed at the Sith below the surface. Now was not the time to cause another scene with him. He had already apologized to you about tricking you into believing that he was killed in that explosion. He must have timed the accident right and slipped on the device to cloak his presence from you, all the more making it believable that Thrawn had succeeded in his endeavor. 

You crossed the threshold into another large expanse of the area just outside the sector of the landing platform, a meeting spot where the 501st was awaiting Vader’s arrival, and your breath hitched in your throat when you witnessed the destruction around you. You didn’t think the Shadow Collective would manage to cause that much destruction in a mere hour of the beginning of their attack. Yet your eyes did not deceive you as you saw smoke coming from all directions around the Imperial Center and clear sounds of battle still raging on ahead of you with an unmistakable sound of several hundreds if not thousands of stormtroopers marching up your way. 

“Kriff,” Vader hissed and your head turned to see another way of Inquisitors along with the stormtroopers approaching you from the cloud of smoke. “Do not hesitate and kill them all,” he barked his orders, his voice steeled cold and so much unlike the one you were used to. You felt the surge of the Dark Side of the Force rising around you, unmistakably coming from Vader and in the blink of an eye he lunged forward, startling the enemy with his rapid movements and the surprise of his attack.

And just like that, the world tipped over and the next moment you were fighting for your life, your own blades twirling in front and around you, parrying the incoming attacks of the Inquisitors and deflecting the blaster fire of the stormtroopers who trained their weapons on Vader. You could not let them lay even a single hit on him, although Vader was too quick for their attacks, simply parrying the laser bolts with the will of the Force, the invisible shield deflecting the incoming attacks as he pushed the fire back at the enemy with the flip of his wrist, killing them all in an instant. 

You pushed past the fire, focusing on the remaining Inquisitions standing around in a circle, trying to cage both you and Vader with their sheer numbers. You were acutely aware that Vader was behind you, his back pressed against yours as he blocked his own attacks from behind you while you focused on the enemy in front of you, parrying their attacks with your own with the speed which surprised even you. You focused on your link with Vader, even past the barrier that was placed by him and the cloaking device he wore and with a tremendous exertion finally found what you were looking for, immediately locking on his presence, feeling his mild shock through your bond and you sighed in relief, grinning as you finally managed to connect to him through the Force, feeling an immense surge of power coursing through you. 

You both worked in unison, each of you concentrating on the enemy in front of you, trusting each other that each of you would defend the other one, blocking the blind spots with each other’s blades. It was a deadly dance, one you were familiar with, syncing with Vader’s movements through the Force as he taught you during your training sessions. It wasn’t long before all the Inquisitors around you were dead, the only sounds were your shallow breaths in your own ringing ears as you tried catching your breath.

“You never fail to amaze me,” you heard Vader’s voice right next to you and the next moment his hot lips were on you, binding you in a searing and passionate kiss that knocked the breath out of your lungs and made your knees weak as you held on to his robe. And just as suddenly as it started the kiss was over, leaving you feeling dazed and confused. “A parting gift,” he whispered, grabbing a hold of your hand as he tugged you behind him.

You were running full speed, past more explosions racking the place. You were almost near the docking platform, you could already see a group of stormtroopers in the distance around a small shuttle prepared for you under Vader’s orders only for you to halt your steps, the Force screaming around you in warnings as you tugged on Vader’s sleeve.

“Vader, no!” you screamed, just as the said shuttle was blown up by an explosion from the incoming laser off one of the ships that appeared out of the blue, hovering over the open deck now directing their fire towards you and Vader. 

Vader swore, changing the direction of his strides towards the nearing wall, running his full speed while dodging the fire behind you two with the Force, your heart hammering in your chest and the ringing in your ears increasing as you exerted your strength on running behind him just to stay close to him. You knew without having to glance back that even a slight mishap in your steps would guarantee your death. Vader was too focused on protecting you to try any of his tricks you knew he had up his sleeve to blow up the ship, which required an effort on his part while standing at the forefront of the fire and uncaring about his own life. You knew enough of his insanity to know he wasn’t risking it with you this time. In a sense, you would be the main cause if you both were to die today.

So you gritted your teeth and let the Force course through you, that undeniable surge of power that wanted to be unleashed finally overtaking your senses and with a cry you turned around and directed your full power at the ship hovering above you. You heard a panicked shout from behind, Vader’s fear slamming against you and then you let it all go, all the stress and tension you felt in your body leaving you, along with anger and other emotions mixing in with Vader’s as the shockwave of your power radiated off of you, destroying everything in it path like ripples in the calm water ricocheting off the epicenter of the attack. It slammed against the ship, halting its attacks with lasers still frozen in the air midway between you and the ship and then the ship exploded up above you, the shockwave of the attack slamming you to the ground but not before Vader caught you, absorbing the brunt of the force with his body as you toppled on top of him.

You heard a low groan from below you while the fire still raged all around you, metal pieces falling from the sky and landing around you. You glanced down to see Vader grimacing from pain, blood streaking his face. Your eyes widened, scanning his body with your eyes and trying to see if he was hurt.

“Kriff, I’m _sorry_ , I don’t know what took over me - “ 

“Don’t be,” he groaned again, slowly lifting himself from the ground. “You saved both of our lives.”

“Vader - “

“I said don’t - “ he was interrupted when a beep signaled a receiving call on Vader’s belt and he immediately picked up his comlink. 

“Lord Vader, I’m afraid we have a situation,” Piett’s voice cut through the other end of the call and you immediately tensed, listening in on the conversation. “It appears the _Avenger_ had been given specific orders by the Supreme Leader, ones I have no knowledge of, the order never came through the bridge of the _Executor_. There is currently an activity being reported around the vessel, with more Star Destroyers re-entering the Coruscant system.”

“Thrawn is dead,” Vader answered and there was a pause from Piett as he absorbed the information. 

“Dead?” Piett finally answered, shock could be discerned in the man’s voice. “Then the orders given - “

“Were Palpatine’s,” Vader finished, his voice rough as he gritted his teeth. “Then you know what must be done.”

“Understood, Lord Vader,” Piett responded, cutting off the transmission.

“Do what?” you asked, apprehension in your voice as you stared at Vader. 

His gaze flickered to your face then back up at the sky, his lips thinned into a grimace as he scowled his features. “Piett will destroy the _Avenger_.”

You gaped at Vader. “ _What_ ? _How_ ? That ship is _massive_ \- “

“Piett and I studied the schematics of the ship,” Vader interrupted you with his explanation as he grimaced once more, the muscles in his jaw ticking. “The _Executor_ has enough firepower to damage the _Avenger_. Despite its size, the ship has a major flaw in its design,” he shook his head, almost sighing as he wiped the blood from his brow with the back of his gloved hand. 

“The axial superlaser is connected directly to the Star Destroyer’s solar ionization reactor,” he continued. “And severe damage to it by unleashing a series of turbo cannon lasers and ion cannons from the _Executor_ would destroy the ship itself,” you gasped, your eyes widening. So even the mighty Super Star Destroyer such as the _Avenger_ , which appeared indestructible and deadly, had its weakness. Maybe the Rebellion had hope after all. 

Heavy footsteps had startled you, your senses dulled and your strength drained after your incredible showcase of power, that you didn’t even register another presence coming towards you until Maul stepped from the other side of the wall, his gaze sweeping the destruction around you until it finally landed on you.

“You did _this_?” he asked, his eyes narrowed.

“This is irrelevant,” Vader snapped, gesturing towards the blown up shuttle in the distance meant for you to be taken off Coruscant, his rage barely controlled. “Your men had blown up our only way of escape and tried to _kill_ us,” he growled, towering over the other man with a deadly look in his eyes.

This was a surprise to you, your eyes widening as you stared at Maul. So the ship that attacked you wasn’t Imperial, it was one of the Shadow Collective’s cronies.

“Perhaps they assumed you were one of the Inquisitors,” Maul hissed back, unfazed by Vader’s intimidating glare. “Do not put a blame on me for your inability to protect _her_ ,” he shifted his head towards you. 

Vader growled and you were about to step forward and interrupt their stand off once more, only for both their heads to snap at once towards the back of the landing platform, the way you and Vader had come from. Only then did you hear the unmistakable sound of heavy boots marching through the Imperial Center, heading straight for you. It appeared the Imperial Army had finally reached their way towards your location. You shot a worrisome look towards Vader, to see him gritting his teeth and quickly thinking of the way out. Except you were all surrounded as you felt more Force signatures of the remaining Inquisitors approaching from several entrances to the landing platform and the one Maul had appeared from. Your only way of escape was the air, but the shuttle was destroyed and there were no other ships on this deck. 

A plan formed inside your head as you spotted a few of the vessels flying above you. “Vader, you have to attack us,” you whispered, drawing his gaze towards you. 

“What?” he asked, confusion briefly overriding his anger. 

“Attack us,” you repeated, your voice urgent. “You have to let them believe you that you are still on _their_ side,” you gestured towards the sound of the incoming stormtroopers. “You are going to have to assume Thrawn’s position for the rest of the plan to work. Starting with your orders to kill Maul and I for starting this insurgence.”

“No - “ Vader started but Maul was the one who had stepped in to interrupt him this time. 

“I must unfortunately agree with her,” Maul started. “We had anticipated for this to happen. There is no other choice but this.”

“Is there somebody that could fly down here and rescue us?” you asked Maul, hoping that one of the Shadow Collective’s vessels would be willing to aid in your recovery.

“There is,” Maul grinned, his eyes glinting as he understood your plan. “And she is currently headed this way.”

Vader hissed, less than pleased with your plan. “If I give such an order you will have limited time to get off this planet. Piett will not be able to hold off the blockade of more Imperial Star Destroyers. Your ship must be able to withstand several of the attacks and not to mention be extremely fast and maneuverable to avoid all the hits. There is not a ship in the galaxy that would be able to do that - “

“You are wrong,” you smiled, your eyes trained on the ship that was fastly approaching your way. “There is one that escaped the Imperial clutches more than once and even avoided being captured by _you_. The ship that made the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs.”

The _Millennium Falcon_. 

Vader’s eyes widened, finally understanding your plan. “I hope you know how to pilot that thing.”

“Even if she doesn’t, my General has plenty of experience with that ship,” Maul cut in and your curiosity piqued. Who was this General he spoke of?

“Then so be it,” Vader finally caved in, shooting you a warning look. “Remember what I told you. Stay low when you reach your destination. Do not, under any circumstances, try to contact me. And keep an eye on Leia.”

You did not have the chance to reply back as suddenly the area was swarmed with troopers and more Inquisitors and in the blink of an eye Vader had launched at Maul, appearing as though they were engrossed in battle long before the Imperial Army had reached you. The scene of Vader and Maul fighting, their attacks vicious against one another, had caught the troopers off guard, giving you enough time to run back towards the edge of the platform as the ship neared you. 

“Do not just stand there,” Vader growled, his rage directed at the troopers behind him as he pushed at Maul with the Force. “Stop them at once.”

The hesitation in their movements had given you another few precious seconds as the wind picked up around the platform, the ship smoothly dropping from the air with its back posited towards you and the ramp already opened and waiting for you. You increased your speed and at the last second jumped in the air, using whatever was left of your Force strength to aid in your jump as you landed on the edge of the ramp. You turned around, waiting for Maul to jump with you only to see him pinned by Vader’s blade and all the troopers training their blasters on his figure.

  
 _Go_ , Vader’s voice roared inside your head as the invisible Force pushed you further inside the ship just in time for the lasers to start shooting at you and the ship. You stumbled in your step, your senses overwhelmed as you obeyed his order, closing the ramp with a press of a button. No sooner had the ramp closed, the ship lurched up in the air and away from the Imperial Center, leaving Maul and Vader behind and the danger of the Imperial Army at your heels. You knew this was only the beginning of your escape. You still had to clear the planet’s atmosphere and escape past the blockade before it was too late.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought it was a decent chapter until I re-read it again and then I was questioning myself but by then it was too late and I was like _screw it_ we'll just go with this. 
> 
> I was rather enjoying writing the bickering part between Maul and Vader. These two have a lot of issues to deal with. Let's not forget about the fact that Anakin _was_ attached to Qui-Gon Jinn and Maul killing the Jedi Master had a negative impact on Anakin. He still holds that grudge against Maul, after all these years later. And Maul holds his own grudge against Vader. The fact that Palpatine was so obsessed with Anakin Skywalker was irksome to Maul. Remember how he wanted to get rid of him at the end of the TCW? Palpatine practically tossed Maul aside to have Anakin/Vader. 
> 
> And I brought the _Millennium Falcon_ back! Woohoo! I honestly almost forgot about it lol. Han would not have been happy. Any ideas who this General is? We'll find out in the next chapter. I hoped you enjoyed it~


	48. Unexpectedness.

You made it just in time to the front of the cockpit when the ship started entering the outer atmosphere of Coruscant, heading straight for the traffic lane meant for the Imperial war ships instead of the common traffic jam.

“What are you doing?” you exclaimed, entering the cockpit when your eyes landed on a person in the pilot’s chair, your words instantly dying in your mouth.

“What does it look like?” the person, a _woman_ , answered back with a distinguishable accent in her voice, this one sounding very familiar to you. You knew another person who possessed a similar accent but you couldn’t quite place the origin of the inflection in this person’s voice. 

“You are heading in the wrong direction,” you finally pointed out, snapping from your earlier stupor as you watched the brunette woman in front of you. 

“I’m heading precisely in the right direction I intended to be in,” the woman replied, finally turning around to give you an overall look with her eyes, briefly pausing when she saw your clipped lightsabers hanging off your belt. “There is less traffic on this lane and we would have a much easier time slipping past the blockade if everything goes according to the plan with your Grand Admiral,” she continued, giving you a small smile.

“I thought Maul said his General would be piloting this ship?” you asked with suspicion in your voice.

“He did and I am,” she answered, extending her hand in your direction. “I’m Qi’ra, Maul’s most trusted and loyal soldier and General of the Crimson Dawn.”

Your eyes widened in brief shock but you quickly subdued it as you extended your own hand, giving Qi’ra a quick handshake as you gave her your own name. 

“A pleasure,” she smiled, turning away from you as she focused on the view up ahead. “I would very much appreciate your help if you’d be my co-pilot for the duration of our time together.”

You lowered yourself on the co-pilot’s seat, still looking at the woman as you observed her features. She looked older than you, maybe by another decade but still young, her face pretty and smooth, her skin flawless, her hair perfectly layered in a ponytail that had her curls cascading down her neck with short bangs covering her forehead with an immaculate makeup that did not deter from her overall natural beauty. To complete her look she wore a simple body suit, yet expensive enough when you noted the fabric and the quality of the material. Overall she looked _stunning_ , composed and complete opposite of what Maul was like and you were thoroughly confused.

“You must have questions for me,” she noticed your look when she briefly glanced your way and you simply nodded. “I will try to answer them to the best of my ability as soon as we are cleared for hyperspace jump. But right now I need you to focus on what’s ahead of us. We are not out of this mess just yet.”

As soon as the last words left her mouth you felt a disturbance in the Force and you quickly glanced out of the ship’s viewport no note that a series of TIE fighters were fastly approaching toward your ship. 

“Speak of the devil,” you muttered, quickly strapping into the seat as you grabbed the ship’s controls and engaged the weaponry system. “I told you this was a bad idea to stay on this lane. We are their primary target, especially considering the fact that you somehow hijacked the ship and _stole_ it from the Empire,” you gave her a pointed look.

“This was never the Empire’s ship to begin with,” she laughed. “And it was never supposed to fall in the hands of the Imperial scum,” she added with a little more vehemence to her voice. 

“I didn’t mean it like that - “ you started but she quickly interrupted you.

“Eyes on the target,” she said as she maneuvered the ship around the fire directed at you and you instantly complied, forgetting about your earlier questions simmering in your head. They could wait, your life could not, and right now you needed to destroy all the TIE fighters that stood in your way to the hyperspace jump. 

It seemed this woman, Qi’ra, definitely knew how to pilot this ship as she easily maneuvered it through air and you concentrated on your own task, targeting the weaponry system on the fighters as you started shooting at them with the ship’s lasers. You managed to hit three of them on the first mark, the other three proved to be more difficult to shoot down.

“If we don’t get off this lane we’ll attract more of them,” you shouted, gritting your teeth. 

“We have already attracted the attention from the nearby Imperial vessels,” Qi’ra responded. “We must as well stay on this course and get off this planet as fast as possible.”

Something glinted from your peripheral vision and you turned, staring wide eyed at the looming shadow of the Super Star Destroyer, the _Avenger_ , its axial superlaser charging and ready to be unleashed upon the planet. You couldn’t believe that Palpatine would give an order to fire upon Coruscant where trillions of people resided on its surface. Then once again, that _was_ Palpatine, a maniac who wanted an absolute control over the galaxy.

“Stay away from that ship,” you shouted, your heart hammering inside your chest, your insides clenching from absolute terror. If Piett was any second too late it could be too late for Coruscant’s citizens down below. You had a growing suspicion that the attack would be directed right at the Imperial Center, obliterating the structure in one blow. You didn’t want to think of consequences should the cannon actually fire its laser.

“Come on, Piett,” you hissed through your clenched teeth, holding on to the controls of the ship with a deathly grip, your knuckles turning white as you stared at the _Executor_ . Why was it taking so long to start firing at the adjacent ship? Unless something happened aboard the _Executor_ \- 

You almost cried in relief when suddenly you saw the explosions in the sky up above, the _Executor_ finally firing its torpedos and laser cannons at the _Avenger_ , causing some damage to the hull of the ship but not enough to blow it up. It needed more power, you surmised, but did that mean that Vader’s calculations were off? Then if so - 

“Look out,” Qi’ra yelled, spinning the _Millennium Falcon_ out of the TIE fighters trajectory of fire still directed at the ship.

“We have to turn back,” you exclaimed, already reaching for the controls of the ship to override its course towards the outer atmosphere.

“What? _No_ ! That’s the last thing we should be doing - “ she argued back and amidst all the arguing you missed the large explosion up ahead as the _Avenger_ finally caught on fire, its reactor damaged from the continuous fire from the _Executor_ . Until a large shockwave erupted from the exploding Super Star Destroyer, sending a massive wave all around it as it blew into pieces, finally catching up to the _Millennium Falcon_ as the ship approached the outer atmosphere. You felt the ship fight against the shockwave, just as it started shaking and whining from the strain of the power directed against it. You could see the same being done to the TIE fighters that still followed you, although due to their smaller size they were not able to withstand the surge of the attack as it pushed them further back away from you, rendering their engines useless. 

“This is our chance,” you screamed as you punched in the first coordinates you could come up with into the hyperdrive, getting ready to flee.

“There are more Imperial ships that are getting ready to exit from the hyperspace,” Qi’ra declared, looking at the radar screen in front of her, and you recalled Piett telling Vader that the signal was sent for all the nearby Imperial vessels to immediately come to the aid of Coruscant. If you didn’t flee now you would be stopped by their blockade. 

“Kriff it,” you hissed and grabbed on to the lever, pushing it down as you activated the hyperdrive and in the next moment the ship lurched into hyperspace as you held your breath, praying that you wouldn’t hit any of the incoming Imperial ships as they exited the hyperspace. You let out a long sigh when after a tense few seconds the ship continued traveling in the hyperspace, blue streaks of light surrounding the viewport of the cruizer. 

“It appears we managed to get out just in time,” Qi’ra sighed next to you and then you turned your gaze to give the woman a more thorough look which she finally caught with her own gaze.

“You are not what I expected when I imagined Maul talking about his General,” you finally voiced the first thing that came to your mind, the thought that would not leave you alone ever since you met the woman. 

“And why is that?” she asked, that accent creeping back up into her voice as she raised her brow to give you a questioning look. 

“You are not exactly Maul’s type,” you replied, clamping your mouth shut when you realized what you’ve just said. 

Qi’ra simply laughed, easing your nerves with her ringing tone. “I would say the same about you and your _association_ with Darth Vader,” she finally replied, giving you a knowing look.

You flushed, giving the woman all the needed information to her assumption as she smiled back. You cleared your throat, deciding to change the subject.

“So, this ship,” you gestured with your hand. “Maul told me you were familiar with this model?”

“I’ve been aboard this ship before,” she confirmed and you failed to hide your surprise written on your face. 

“You mean you know Han Solo and Chewie, current owners of this ship?” you asked, noticing how Qi’ra demeanor instantly changed when she heard you mentioning Han’s name. 

“So it appears Han managed to acquire the ship from Lando Carlissian after all,” she answered back, smiling to herself. “But yes, I do know them. But it’s been a long time since I’ve seen both of them, too long to remember in fact.”

You narrowed your eyes. “How did you become the General of Crimson Dawn?”

Qi’ra swallowed, avoiding her gaze to stare at the viewport. “It’s a long story. One, I’m afraid, would have to wait until another time,” you were about to interject to let her know you had plenty of time while traveling through hyperspace but she continued on. “So where are we headed to?”

“ _We_?” you asked, giving her a look. 

“Maul had given me specific orders to escort you to your location with no casualties on your part,” Qi’ra answered, returning your look with her own. “Unless you are threatened by my company?”

“This is the first time I hear of such orders,” you answered, refusing to acknowledge that the woman’s presence indeed unsettled you slightly. You couldn’t quite place how, there was no threat in the Force and it appeared the woman was non-Force sensitive, possessing no obvious danger to you and your skills with the lightsaber. 

“I understand,” Qi’ra answered, bowing her head. “But the order was given in case Maul was left behind on Coruscant, which leaves me in command of Crimson Dawn. And my priority is to get you delivered safely to your location. Otherwise my life will be on the line if something were to happen to you. After all, Maul is under Darth Vader’s care, which in turn results in his own life undeniably affected by the outcome of your own safety. You must understand where I’m going with this,” she gave you a pointed look to which you scowled your features but refrained from commenting on it. 

“Fine,” you audibly sighed, too tired to try and argue with her. The last few hours had been a blur for you and you were thoroughly exhausted. 

Qi’ra smiled back, inclining her head. “So, where to?”

You didn’t know yet yourself, you haven’t even had the chance to look at the encrypted holographic map Vader had implanted inside the device you were wearing on your finger. So when you started fumbling with the device, Qi’ra face morphed into a puzzled expression as she watched you trying to figure out how to operate the small device. There must have been a button or something - 

You felt a small ridge on the side of it and when you pushed on it, you heard a small clicking noise and then the center of the ring lighted up and the section of the map emerged from the device, projected across the small span of space around you. You immediately noted a highlighted part of the sector marked on the map.

“I know this place,” Qi’ra said as she observed the map. “That region is part of the Western Reaches of the Mid Rim. Looks like we are heading to Takodana.”

“Takodana?” you asked, shaking your head. Of all the places for the rest of the Rebellion to hide, this was the last place you expected them to be. Still located in the Mid Rim not that far off from the Core Worlds, it was a bold move for them to settle there. You wondered what made them choose that planet over any others. 

“It’s a good spot,” Qi’ra answered your silent questions as she plugged in the coordinates to the hyperdrive. “The planet managed to maintain a neutrality amidst the war and its distance from galactic politics had become an appealing part to the many fugitives, smugglers, and explorers that like to visit the place and hide from the Empire. Some call it a haven, a blessing in disguise.”

“You’ve been there then?” you asked, inclining your own head to look at Qi’ra.

“Yes, several times in fact,” she answered as the ship lurched from hyperspace, getting ready to continue to the second jump. “It’s a good place to collect the needed intel on certain individuals. We’ll head straight for the Takodana Castle, home of Maz Kanata. I’m sure you’ll like her.”

You stopped her by placing your hand on the lever, bringing your eyes to meet hers and the questioning look in them.

“I need to be sure we are not followed nor tracked by the Empire,” you stated, giving her a measured look. 

“You don’t need to worry about that. I took care of all the trackers that were placed on the ship,” she replied, understanding your apprehension. “And I ran the needed diagnostics prior to our departure. We will not be tracked.”

You nodded, still watching her with your hard gaze. “And what about you? How can I be sure I can trust _you_?”

Qi’ra fully turned around in her seat, her bluish-green eyes trained on you. “I was a smuggler for the most part of my life, doing crimes that would be punishable by death if I were ever captured by the Empire. My associations with the crime organization such as Crimson Dawn alone should be enough to convince you I am not a spy for the Empire and will _never_ be a part of them. You can trust me to keep your location safe.”

You considered her words, the truth in them palpable through the Force. “Alright then,” you nodded your head, removing your hand from the lever.

“Good,” she replied back. “We should be at Takodana in a few hours if everything goes smoothly. This hyperspace route is relatively safe. You should rest,” she turned to look at you, finally acknowledging the wear on your face and overall look of exhaustion that had taken over you. 

You nodded, relaying your thanks to her as you started heading towards the back of the ship into the sleeping quarters.

“I will signal for you if I need any help,” you heard her say as you left the cockpit area, already half asleep by the time you made inside one of the rooms, instantly passing out when you collapsed on top of the mattress. 

___

You stared at the grandiose structure erected on the shores of the lake, off to the distance where Qi’ra landed the _Millennium Falcon_ on one of the flat landing platforms not too far off from the castle. The surrounding scenery was peaceful, with many trees and other greenery surrounding the place and wildlife making their presence known by different sounds emitting from all around you. Your eyes took it all in, feeling a sense of calm settling over you and the undeniable presence of the Force enveloping this place. Something was calling to you from the depths of the castle, beneath the stones and you were curious enough to tap into the Force only to withdraw back when another sentient being had tapped their senses around your walls. There was another Force-sensitive being here, other than Leia Organa. But it didn’t feel threatening, only curious just as you were. 

“Let’s go,” Qi’ra called out, interrupting your musings and you hastily followed after her, wrapping one of the cloaks you’d found lying around the inside of the ship to hide your features from unwanted eyes, as well as your lightsabers. You did not want to risk letting anyone identify you as an Imperial spy, or worse, a _Jedi_. 

Once you stepped foot inside the alcove before the entrance to the castle, your eyes took in all sorts of assortments of different colors of flags and other symbols adorning the walls of the worn out stone, the many flags hanging off the ropes from the spires that decorated the columns of the building. You didn’t miss a few signs posted around the perimeter of the castle, all of them stating the same thing. 

_All are welcome._ **_No fighting._ **

And amidst it all, a large statue towering over the entrance to the structure, overlooking the vast lands that surrounded the castle. A statue of what you presumed was of this Maz Kanata you were about to meet.

“Let me do all the talking,” Qi’ra’s voice snapped you back to the present and you found her eyes watching you as she smiled back. “I would advise you _not_ to stare at her. She is quite _something_.”

“I can tell,” you quirked your eyebrow but nonetheless refrained from voicing your opinion as you followed Qi’ra through the doors into what appeared to be a cantina, with loud voices and music following your every step. The inside reminded you very much of any bar you’ve been to, with many rows of tables scattered across the large expanse of the place and all sorts of species, humanoid and not, occupying the space, most of them just drinking. The place reeked of alcohol and you scrunched your nose, feeling an onset of nausea in the back of your throat. 

“Qi’ra,” a woman’s voice had sounded from somewhere below you and you turned your head only to meet no one in front of you until your gaze dropped down and your eyes met an orange humanoid alien no more than four feet tall, looking up at _you_ through a set of magnifying glasses, her face wrinkled from the millenia-long span of her lifetime in the galaxy. Her brown eyes were staring right at you, as though she could see right through the darkness that your hood provided for you to cover your face, her gaze never faltering. You took a step back only for Qi’ra to step forward, breaking the tense moment between you and this woman.

“Maz,” Qi’ra smiled, inclining her head to give the woman her respects. “It’s been a while.”

“It sure has,” Maz responded, motioning for you to follow her towards the back of the cantina. “I’m eager to hear the news of your travels to Dathomir.”

“I’m afraid this wasn’t the reason why I came to see you announced,” Qi’ra responded as Maz finally stopped in front of one the empty tables, turning around to look at you. 

“You are here for your Rebel friends,” Maz announced, startling you with her bluntness. Sensing your unease, the woman chuckled. “Do not worry, they are safe. They’ve been expecting you for quite some time.”

“Me?” you asked, failing to hide the surprise in your voice. “How did they know I was coming here in the first place - “

“Take off your hood,” Maz instructed and you tensed, pausing midway from finishing asking your question. 

Maz expectantly waited for you to oblige her as she watched you from her spot. Despite her small size, this woman appeared to exude an air of intimidation around her, not to mention a sense of familiarity which you couldn’t quite place. The Force was too strong in this place for you to clearly discern anything else and with a hesitant move, you finally lowered your hood. Maz immediately climbed on the table, stopping in front of you on the edge of it to gaze into your eyes.

“I see,” she replied, looking through her magnifying lenses to look at you when she finally removed them from her face, now squinting her eyes as she stared at you. “The Force had chosen _you_.”

“What?” you asked, looking at Maz with a startled look in your eyes. 

“You have met the Chosen One,” Maz continued and you tensed, recalling the name Maul once called Vader. 

“I’m sorry, but how do you know that - “ you started but were interrupted by none other than Han Solo himself.

“Maz!” he yelled across the place, heading straight for your location. “The _Millenniun Falcon_ , it’s _here_! I thought Chewie was having another one of his episodes with his eyes when he told me he saw it land. But it’s really - “ he suddenly paused, when his eyes landed on Qi’ra, her face considerably whiter than just a minute ago and her eyes wide open.

“Qi’ra?” Han exclaimed, looking at the brunette woman in front of him with a disbelievable expression written on his face. “How… wh-what are you doing _here_?”

Her face twitched but she remained smiling, albeit a little more tense than usual. “Han, what an unexpected surprise. It’s been... a while.”

“Damn well it has,” Han replied with a gruff voice, his eyes still glued on Qi’ra. You cocked your eyebrow at his strange display. “Seven years or so?”

“You’ve been keeping track,” she replied, this situation clearly making her very uncomfortable. 

“Not a day had gone by since I’ve stopped thinking of you,” Han replied and this time you definitely shot him a perplexed look. You thought Leia and Han had made it official, but perhaps something happened while you were gone. Speaking of which - 

“Han, what’s the hold up?” Leia’s voice sounded from behind him and he visibly tensed and so did you. You weren’t sure if Vader’s transmission went through. And if not, then your sudden arrival to Takodana could raise Leia’s suspicions about your reason to be here. You weren’t even sure how the rest of your crew would handle the news of you working with Vader all along, even before his identity was revealed to the rest of the galaxy. Perhaps they would hate you for withholding that information from them. 

Leia stopped by Han’s side, her eyes scanning Qi’ra with a probing gaze until her eyes landed on you. “Commander,” she finally acknowledged you with a clipped tone. “Maz told us you were coming.”

“Yes, well, I was not aware of this location until some hours ago,” you started, feeling apprehensive for unknown reasons. “Vader has - “

Leia raised her hand, silencing you. “Not here,” she hushed, keeping her voice a whisper. “Too many unwanted ears,” she elaborated, giving a pointed look to Maz who kept quiet this whole time. 

“I can certainly prepare a room for you all to converse in peace and quietness,” she responded, understanding Leia’s silent request as she climbed down from the table. “You can all follow me. Han, go get Chewie. I suppose you want the rest of them to be present at the meeting?” Maz asked, directing her question at Leia.

  
“Just the Commander’s crew for now,” Leia responded, shooting you another look. “I’m sure there are certain details that should not be disclosed to the rest of the _survivors_ ,” she continued and you winced, feeling guilty at the fact that you were somewhat responsible for the destruction of the Rebel base on Da Soocha V, even if such feelings were unwarranted. No one could have prepared for Palpatine’s infiltration of the base, not even Vader. Although you bringing Vader back had certainly caused a cataclysmic chain of reaction that spiraled everything out of control. You only hoped that the rest of the Rebellion shared your views and did not trust the lies the media was feeding to the rest of the galaxy about you and Vader. You supposed you’d find out sooner rather than later at this so-called meeting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter prompted me to rewatch Solo movie and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I honestly don't understand why so many people hated it? I loved the actor that played Solo and loved Qi'ra's character and of course, Maul <3! So I had to bring Qi'ra into this story (it only made that much sense since Maul is present). There's a reason why Qi'ra is here as well but we'll learn that in the next few chapters. 
> 
> I also love Maz Kanata and her character. And yes, Han knew here even before the events of the TFA. Some of the stuff I made up (like Qi'ra knowing Maz but this is my story and I can do whatever I want :P) Ah, I can't wait to let you see what will happen in this spot ~
> 
> And no, we won't be seeing Vader for a while, at least a few chapters. This part is solely focused on the reader and the demons she has to deal with. You'll see what I mean in the upcoming chapters.
> 
> Hopefully, this wasn't too boring for you. Chao ^^


	49. The meeting.

“Ra’alon, thank the Force you are alright,” you hugged the Twi’lek woman as soon as you saw her coming through the entrance, startling her with your unusual display of fondness.The last time you saw her she was still recovering from her wound acquired on Geonosis, when one of the lucky shots hit her side from the commando droids as you all tried to escape the factory. She looked thinner than you last remembered but otherwise healthy and alive. That’s all that mattered.

Behind her you saw the rest of your team coming up to the room. You saw a flicker of something in Gavid’s eyes as he simply nodded his head, refraining from saying anything to you but you dismissed his gruffness as anything more than simply one of the traits of his personality. Tryon was right beside him, his feline eyes immediately settling on you as he passed you by, acknowledging you with a simple bow of his head. You looked down the hallway, expecting to see Gil but no one else had followed the two men in and the rest of the group that Leia had called were already gathered inside the room Maz had prepared for you. You frowned, turning around to sweep your gaze across all the faces present in the room with you. 

“Where’s Gil? Is he not coming?” you asked, the Force swirling around you with its tendrils, something in the air shifting as you gazed at Ra’alon’s stricken face as she took the seat in front of the large table settled in the middle of the room. 

“You don’t know?” it was Han’s voice that drew your attention to his standing figure, leaning against one of the walls with his arms folded across his chest. 

“Don’t know  _ what _ ?” you asked, your voice rising a slight notch.

“Gil was with the Rogue Squadron when the attack happened on Da Soocha V,” Leia started, her voice quiet but taut. You nodded your head, you knew that much. After all, you spoke with him right before he took off to fight off the blockade with the rest of the Squadron. “He didn’t make it.”

Silence stretched for several long tense moments as you processed her words. “What?”

“The Rogue Squadron was wiped out,” Leia continued with more volume to her voice. “Along with the rest of the Squadrons the Rebellion had. All of our best pilots along with their Generals - gone.  _ Dead _ ,” her voice broke at the last part.

“I - I didn’t know,” you started, completely shocked by her words as you took a seat in one of the empty chairs, your gaze distant. “I wasn’t aware of the extent of loss the Rebellion suffered…”

“We’ve lost the majority of our Fleet,” Han continued while Leia took some time to compose herself. “Some of the smaller cruisers managed to escape, we were one of the lucky ones to get out before more of the Star Destroyers showed up. The Rebellion suffered a disastrous loss, worse than the Battle of Hoth.”

“But there are  _ survivors _ ,” you interjected, sweeping your gaze across the room. “The Rebellion managed to rebuild itself after the Battle of Hoth, we managed to pull it off. Who’s to say we can’t do it now?”

Leia scoffed. “Because most of our High Command was wiped out,” she spat. “Our communications had been cut off, jammed. We don’t have any means of travel, our main cruisers and battleships were destroyed. Our whole Fleet was located on Da Soocha V! We never anticipated the magnitude of the attack! At least with Hoth, we had the remnants of the Alliance Fleet scattered across the galaxy, now we have  _ none _ .”

You shook your head. “But you have an  _ ally _ ,” you argued, looking at Leia as you spoke the next words. “Your father can help - “

“We’ve all seen the HoloNews of him being reappointed back as the Supreme Commander of the Imperial Navy,” Ra’alon’s voice cut through the tension, her eyes blazing with fury. “How can you say that he can help when he betrayed all of us? Even his own daughter?”

“That’s not what happened,” you started, trying to keep your voice calm. “Did you not get the transmissions he sent you through Artoo?”

“I did,” Leia said, keeping her own voice even. “I erased them all.”

You gaped at her with a shocked expression written on your face. “ _ Why _ ?” you exclaimed, raising from your seat. “He sent them to you specifically so you could understand - “

“What’s there to understand?” she calmly replied, looking right at you. “That he sided all along with the Empire while leading me to believe he was repenting for his earlier sins?”

“But that’s not what happened,” you argued, almost screaming, desperately trying to make them all understand. “He had to do it in order to get close to Thrawn and Palpatine. This was his only way of achieving that goal by accepting Thrawn’s proposal in accepting his old position back within the Empire - “

“Then I’m sure you can also explain how Vader had also just now been announced as the new Emperor of the Galactic Empire?” Leia interjected, her voice hard. 

You swallowed. So it finally happened. Vader had taken the reins of the throne left in shambles after the presumed death of Palpatine while Thrawn simply acted as his puppet all along. He had accepted the role he so vehemently opposed to all along when you first spoke to him about the possibility of him becoming an Emperor. But you knew he saw no choice but to declare himself as one, being the rightful heir to the throne in line all along. It had to be done to prevent more insurgences and breakouts of war happening across the galaxy with no ruler present to lead the galaxy. Especially with the recent defeat of the Rebel Alliance. Vader was the only one capable of ensuring there was peace within the galaxy while he searched for Palpatine. It was now up to you to try and convince the rest of the people gathered in the room with you that Vader’s actions were necessary and out of good versus evil they all believed in. 

“That was my suggestion,” you slowly started, noticing shocked expressions on some of the faces. “I had spoken to him about it once, back when we were discussing politics and our views on the matter. The only reason why Vader decided to take on the role of an Emperor is to ensure there were no more breakouts of insurgencies across the galaxy. Until we can come up with a better solution. Until Palpatine is finally dead.”

“Whatever you mean by ‘we’?” Leia asked, her eyes narrowed. 

“Vader’s position is temporary, at least I think it will be,” you started, holding the woman's gaze with your own. “He does not agree with a lot of issues Palpatine had overlooked during his time ruling the galaxy. But Vader agrees that with the right approach, the galaxy could become a better place, ruled by the right governing agency. You must believe me when I say he is doing it to save the galaxy from more unnecessary wars. And he will need  _ your _ help in ensuring that remains so.”

Leia was silent as she regarded you across the table. The one to break the silence was none other than Ra’alon herself as she impatiently rose from her own seat, sending you an accusatory glare. 

“Why should we  _ trust _ you? When you lied to all of us about your identity?” she yelled, jabbing her finger in the air directed at you. “The news could be true for all we know. You could be a spy sent to us to destroy the rest of the Rebellion by Vader’s or Thrawn’s orders - “

“Thrawn is dead,” you swiftly interrupted her, sending her a dry look, shocking the rest of the people in the room. It appeared that knowledge was news to them, it seemed the information of Thrawn’s death had not yet been released to the public. “Palpatine killed him right before my eyes. If that doesn’t tell you what kind of a man - no,  _ monster _ , Palpatine is by killing the person he assigned to overlook the state of the galaxy while he himself recovered in the shadows, then I don’t know what else will convince you of what kind of a sadistic bastard he is.”

You took a shaky breath, trying to calm your nerves. “I couldn’t risk letting anyone know of my identity when I first joined the Rebellion. For fear of my own life. I was  _ terrified _ that I would be hunted by Palpatine’s pets if they were to learn I survived the massacre…” you trailed off, clenching your fingers into fists. “And I didn’t want my past to haunt me at every step. I didn’t want to be labeled as another  _ Jedi _ just because I had the Force. Which is why I stayed away from Luke Skywalker for all those years,” you looked at Leia to see her watching you. 

“I wanted to tell you all, I truly did,” you continued, looking at your crew and their faces, your voice breaking. “But I couldn’t risk your lives as well. Nothing good comes out of those that spend their time with the Force-sensitive beings. Believe me when I say that. The Empire would always find them and either kill them or morph them into something entirely different, something beyond monstrosity, something like  _ me _ . It’s a vicious cycle, one I was not ready to drag you all in.”

You collapsed back into the chair, hiding your face behind your hands. “I _ really am sorry for everything. _ ”

It was silent once more, the uncomfortable tension rolling off in waves around the room. No one wanted to be the first one to break the silence. Until Maz, who up until this point was quietly sitting at the opposite end of the table, observing you with her small intelligent eyes. 

“You say that Thrawn is dead,” she started, drawing the attention of everyone in the room, including yours as you raised your head to look at her. “But I foresee a much greater battle up ahead. There will truly be no peace until Palpatine is dead.”

You nodded your head. “And that’s something Vader swore he would do once he finds him,” you said with a determined look in your eyes.

But Maz shook her head and you immediately frowned as she watched you with a contemplative look on her face. “It cannot be Vader that kills Palpatine. It must be Anakin Skywalker, the Chosen One.”

You saw several faces morph into confusion, some in shock, like Leia’s as she watched the other woman across the table. “Whatever you mean by that?” she finally asked, raising her eyebrow as she questioned Maz. “Vader  _ was _ once Anakin Skywalker, that revelation was revealed with the release of the tape. Vader and Anakin are the same man, there should be no difference at what he calls himself as long as he accomplishes what he should have done all those years ago,” she finished, curling her hands into fists. 

“You are mistaken, my child,” Maz answered with a sympathetic look in her eyes. “He may be the same man, but Vader believes his true self had long died in the fires of Mustafar,” she continued while shaking her head. “If he is to succeed, he must face his demons and acknowledge his true self.”

You felt disoriented as you gazed at Maz, her eyes now looking right at you. Who  _ was _ this woman? How did she know so much about Vader and of the prophecy of the Chosen One? What did she mean by what she just said? You were confused, to say the least and you had more questions than answers. 

“Enough of Vader,” Leia snapped, getting agitated as she focused her gaze back on you. “Who is the woman who came with you to this place?”

You saw Han shift as he changed his posture, his arms falling loosely by his sides. “Her name is Qi’ra. She...helped me escape from Coruscant while Vader and I were surrounded by the Imperial Army and the Inquisitors from all sides. I don’t know much else about her,” you trailed off just as Han placed himself right by Leia, leaning himself against the wall. 

“And do we have any concrete evidence that she is not part of the Empire? Why should we trust her?”

“You can trust Qi’ra,” Han chimed in just as you opened your mouth to speak. You promptly closed it down as you listened to Han, wanting to know for yourself what was going on between him and Qi’ra. “She saved  _ my _ life multiple times.”

Leia turned her head to look at Han, her eyes holding a questioning gaze in them as she directed it at the man in front of her. Han sighed as he rubbed the back of his head. “We grew up together on Corellia, did many stupid and dangerous things together until we were parted… I didn’t get to meet her until a few years later while Chewie and I got ourselves into more trouble with one of the local crime lords. Qi’ra ended up being his top lieutenant. She saved my life by killing him when he tried to end me. I never saw her afterwards, she just… disappeared, until now.”

Leia pursed her lips, studying Han with narrowed eyes. “I see,” she finally ground out, shooting him a deadly glare. “But that doesn’t answer the question as to how she ended up on Coruscant in the first place at the most convenient time when you needed her help,” she turned back to you and now it was your turn to sigh. It was clear that you had to let them know of Qi’ra’s involvement with Crimson Dawn and about Maul himself. You weren’t quite sure how any of them would take to the news of harboring someone who was that close to another Sith Lord amidst their ranks. You had a growing suspicion that Maz was already aware of Qi’ra shadowy past as she calmly looked around the room, waiting to hear your answer. 

“Right,” you started, drawing a shaky breath. “I suppose I should start with the fact that Maul was also on Coruscant at the time of Vader’s and I's arrival. And under unforeseen circumstances we had formed an  _ alliance _ , a plot to kill Thrawn while I stayed a guest at the Imperial Center. It was only due to his Shadow Collective that we managed to draw enough attention to the Coruscant’s attack to draw unwanted eyes from Thrawn in order to kill him. Unfortunately, the plan backfired and Palpatine was the one to give orders to surround us when he killed Thrawn.”

“What has this got to do with this Qi’ra?” Leia asked, a little impatience leaking into her tone. Right, you forgot she could be just as difficult as her father and just as impatient. Traits she inherited from him just as Vader warned you about. 

“Because Qi’ra is Maul’s General and part of Crimson Dawn,” you finished, avoiding looking at Han and Leia’s direction as you watched the spot on the table in front of you. 

“That is some far stretched bantha shit I’ve ever heard of,” Han laughed with dryness in his voice. “I know Qi’ra, she would  _ never _ work for someone like Maul, a kriffing Sith Lord nonetheless - “

“You do not know of things you speak of,” it was Maz’s voice that finally cut in, interrupting Han’s heated tirade. 

“And  _ you _ do?” Han turned around, glaring at the woman as he breathed heavily through his mouth. 

“Better than you seem to know someone you claim to be your lifelong friend,” Maz continued, unfazed by Han’s anger. “I was well aware of her involvement with Crimson Dawn.”

“And you’re fine with it?” Leia incredulously asked. 

“As long as everyone who comes here abides by  _ my _ laws, they’re welcome to stay. And that includes Qi’ra as well. I will not force out anyone who is in need of shelter, be it a Rebel, an Imperial or a criminal,” Maz’s hard voice raised a notch as she gave a pointed look to Leia, instantly silencing her.

You bit your lip, looking between Han, Leia and Maz until Han finally growled, turning on his heels to walk out of the room, shouting something behind him that sounded very much like he was going to find out for himself the truth with Qi’ra. Chewie roared with a sad note in his voice and the room was once again encased in silent tension, no one daring to speak a word. 

“So what now?” Ra’alon finally cut in, tired of the silence and the unnatural stiffness in the air. 

“We wait,” you supplied, which earned you a new set of looks. “We have to lay low, for now. Until Vader gets a hold of the Imperial Navy and the support of the Governors and Moffs. He cannot act until the power play settles and he truly claims the throne for himself. Until then, we cannot do anything. Not with Palpatine still hovering in the shadows. He will be looking for us, for you, General,” you directed your gaze at Leia and she wrinkled her nose.

“I’m not a General any more,” she answered instead. “You may just call me Leia.”

“Then I suppose my title as a Commander is also insignificant,” you answered back, which earned you a small smile gracing Leia’s lips. “Please call me by my first name.”

“Very well,” Leia nodded, her gaze back to being focused. “But I cannot promise you that the remaining of what’s left of the Rebellion will sit still while we wait for my father to make his decision and assert his power as the new Emperor. Some might even consider this to be a perfect time to try and assassinate him in order to guarantee that no one can take the claim of the throne.”

“That’s a suicide,” Tryon cut in, shaking his head. 

“I agree,” Leia supplied. “But I have no ways of communicating with every single faction scattered across the galaxy.”

“But you are aware of some that are close by?” you slowly asked, watching Leia’s face as her gaze flickered back to you. 

“I kept in touch with Mon Mothma and Admiral Ackbar,” she admitted, which earned her a new set of looks from your crew. So this was news to them as well. “I may be able to relay this information to them but I’m worried about the security of our channels. We cannot allow any outside sources to interfere with our communications.”

“If you’re worried about the security over the transmission, then perhaps we can meet them in person?” you suggested. “If everything goes according to the plan, Vader will need the Rebellion to accept his reign and sign the truce. That can only be accomplished if the Alliance is aware of his ultimate goal. Chancellor Mothma needs to accept the proposition, the sooner the better.”

“Not everyone will agree with these turn of events,” Leia warned, her eyes dark as she held your gaze. 

“We don’t need everyone,” you replied. “We only need the remaining officers of the High Command to agree with us.”

Leia paused, considering your words. “And then what? I cannot let the rest of the galaxy to fall back within the ways of the Old Empire, with the totalitarian government controlling the planets and the rest of the galaxy. And I don’t think that’s something Chancellor Mothma will agree with either. It is for those reasons that the Alliance failed to win the war in the first place.”

You nodded your head, aware of the concerns the young woman posed, the same concerns you voiced to Vader when you discussed the way the Galactic Republic handled its rule. But it wasn’t you who voiced the suggestion, but Tryon who had a measured and contemplative look on his face.

“Reinstating the Senate would be the first step in ensuring that the galaxy does not fall back within its old ways,” he started and you snapped your head to look at him. 

“A Senate that has no power and no voice does nothing more than act as a diversion, a tool for people to believe that their voices are being heard and listened to,” Leia interrupted, her persona instantly changing into that of a Senator. 

“Then we should ensure that the Senate gets that power back,” you answered, looking at Leia. “I’ve talked with your father on this matter. He is a man of action, not so much for politics and internal conflicts of the government. Perhaps he would be willing to listen to your proposal. He will need someone to guide him to ensure he is doing the right thing. I believe you are that person, Leia. He holds you in a high regard. I can’t imagine him having patience to deal with any other politicians,” you smiled at her and the corners of her lips raised a notch to give you a quick smile in return.

“Then it’s settled,” she announced with her authoritative voice of a General. “I will try to get in touch with Mothma and set up the meeting where we can discuss this further. For now, I suppose we should try and rest and prepare for the worst if it comes to it. Stay low and don’t let Palpatine find us.”

You felt relieved as soon as the meeting came to an end, with Leia walking out of the room in search of Han with Chewie right behind her. You quickly stood up from your seat and made your way towards your crew with Ra’alon watching your every step. You felt the need to apologize again and so you did just that.

“I really am sorry,” you started with the same words you’ve told them within the last hour. “For not telling you all about Vader’s true identity, for leading you on into believing that he died. Believe me when I say that it was to protect you, both from the Alliance and the Empire. I didn’t want to put you through more misery than what you’ve all already been through. This war had taken a lot from us…” you faltered, biting your lip as your emotions flared up from remembering Gil and learning of his death in such an unexpected way.

“It wasn’t the fact that you lied to us,” Ra’alon started, watching you with a hard look on her face as her own eyes glistened from unshed tears. “It was the fact that you felt the need to keep the truth hidden from us like you couldn’t trust us. That’s what hurt the most.”

“I understand,” you replied, biting back an uncomfortable lump in your throat. “And I apologize for that too.”

You couldn’t explain to them why you did what you did, why you hid the truth from them without sounding like you were justifying your own actions. Perhaps it was a subconscious thought of also wanting to keep Vader safe which you’d chosen over the telling the truth part. That you’d chosen a man, a labeled monster, a killer that you barely even knew over your own crew that you’d known for years. You couldn’t explain to them your feelings towards Darth Vader without sounding insane. But perhaps you didn’t need to, judging by the look on Ra’alon’s face as she gazed at you. Perhaps it was already quite clear to most of them why you did what you did. That your feelings for Vader were not as hidden as you thought they were. You weren’t quite sure how it made you feel knowing that they  _ knew _ . 

“I’m just glad you’re okay,” Ra’alon finally answered as she raised herself from the seat and gave you an unexpected hug, startling you the same way you startled her with your own display of emotions.

“Me too,” you smiled, hugging her back. “Let’s all have a small service ceremony for Gil.”

“He’d like that,” Gavid replied and so did Tryon.

“Yeah,” you smiled at them. “He would.”

You spent a few minutes in comfortable silence, simply embracing Ra’alon as she finally succumbed to her own tears, softly crying into your shoulder as you rubbed small circles on her back. The poor girl had witnessed a lot of cruelty in her lifetime and losing Gil was an added sorrow, another reason to hate the Empire for what they’ve done to her people and her friends alike. She harbored that hate deep within her all along for the past few years of joining the Rebellion. You only prayed that at some point the justice would befall on those who had done her harm. And that prayer was answered with Thrawn’s death after he ruthlessly destroyed the Tann Province of Ryloth, the area where Ra’alon and her family grew up. Now only Palpatine stood in the way of victory and you swore you’d protect her from him one way or the other. 

When you finally parted with your crew you didn’t realize that Maz was still in the room, silently watching you from her spot. You quirked your eyebrow to give her a look and she finally raised from her seat, stumbling over to you with her short legs. 

“How do you know of the prophecy of the Chosen One?” you asked, crossing your arms over your chest. 

“My child,” she started, looking up at you. “There are many things you have yet to learn, but you’re not yet ready.”

“What - “

“When the time comes, the Force will call for you,” she continued and you frowned. “Until then, it is not my place to intervene.”

“I don’t understand,” you started, feeling confused.

“You must rest,” Maz answered as she walked towards the door that led to the cantina below. “There will be time for you to ask questions, but now is not that time. Trust the Force to guide you and it shall bless you with its knowledge. That time will soon come.”

  
She disappeared through the crack in the door and you were left staring at the empty spot, your mind whirling with possibilities of what her words could possibly mean. One thing you were certain of, is that the Force indeed had everything to do with your visions and your connection with Vader, although you had yet to find out why it chose  _ you _ . You had a feeling the answer laid somewhere close to you, the Force feeling strong and unsettled in this place Maz called her home. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter might seem boring to you, but this was needed to try and wrap the story. Because this story is not just about Vader/Reader relationship, it spans much bigger and affects everyone in this story. Thus the tag for politics and rebellion. For galaxy to become a better place, Vader and Rebellion have to put their differences aside and come up with a truce. It's no secret that I was hinting on Vader becoming an Emperor and for Senate to be re-instated. The question is - if Mothma would agree to these terms. Leia is still skeptical and we will have a perfect representation of that in the next chapter, which will be the concluding chapter of Part Four. 
> 
> And I also wanted to wrap up the crew's feelings and thoughts on the matter of the reader hiding the truth from them. We all knew it was coming and I thought now was the best time to address them. 
> 
> Vader will be back for a brief moment in Chapter 52. Stay tuned for some epic action. I will try to finish this story within the next month.


	50. Resolutions.

“Everyone ready?” Han’s voice sounded from the cockpit as you settled in the main area of the _Millennium Falcon_ , with Leia joining you on the opposite side. 

“As ready as we can be, Han,” she answered with a smile in her voice and a roll of her eyes. It seemed her mood had improved significantly after she spoke with Han on the matters of a new guest, that guest being none other than Qi’ra herself, and presumably his past love interest if you could guess by their interaction from the few times you observed the two of them together. You thought that perhaps Leia was in a far better mood because Qi’ra was not joining you on your next mission, and Leia had Han all to herself while you spent a few days traveling to the location of one of the Rebel’s cells, where Mothma was expecting to meet with you. 

You spent almost a week on Takodana, patiently waiting for the call from Mothma while also lamenting over the fact that you were not by Vader’s side. The separation was worse than you’ve ever imagined, your insides clenching every single time you thought of him in your spare time, which you now had a lot of since there was nothing else to do expect eat and sleep and watch the drunks make fool out of themselves as you usually sat in the back corner of the cantina, usually sipping on a caf. You usually toyed with the ring, your fingers absentmindedly twirling the cloaking device on your finger, wanting to take it off and connect with Vader through the Force. But his adamant warning kept ringing in your head, his desperate plea for you to stay safe. You couldn’t risk letting your presence known in the Force, especially now that you knew Palpatine wanted something from you and was more than certain that you’d willingly make your way to him. You scoffed, the man was delusional if he thought you’d ever come to him.

“Everything alright?” Leia’s voice snapped you back to the present, her brown eyes watching you from her spot, sitting across from you.

“Yes,” you answered, averting your gaze, once again playing with the ring on your finger. 

“Hm,” she hummed, her eyes trained on the ring. “Did my father give that to you?”

“Oh, that?” you looked down. “It’s just a cloaking device, a tool for Force-sensitives like us to hide our abilities and mask our presence.”

“I see,” she replied, her hard gaze still trained on you. “You have feelings for him.”

“What?” you asked, startled, as you raised your eyes to look at Leia. Maybe you just imagined the words spoken to you.

“You have feelings for my father,” Leia repeated, her gaze unflinching and you wanted to fidget under her scrutinizing gaze.

“What makes you say that?” you asked, not quite admitting the truth in her words nor denying them.

“I can see the look in your eyes every time you touch that ring,” she nodded her head towards your hand. “Not to mention the way you carry yourself every time someone mentions my father’s name.”

“That’s - “ you trailed off, not quite sure what to say, this whole conversation making you feel awkward. You never imagined you’d be having this dialogue with none other than Darth Vader’s daughter herself.

“You miss him,” she continued, her tone even, not a hint of anger in her voice you’d expect her to have. 

“I do,” you finally admitted, casting your gaze downwards as you lowered your head to hide the heat in your cheeks. 

“Do you _love_ him?” she asked, her voice finally showing a hint of what she was feeling, some uncertainty in her words. 

You took your time to answer, reflecting on your own emotions as you fought to come up with an adequate answer. There was no point lying to her, nor hiding your feelings from Vader’s own flesh and blood. Leia was just as perceptive as her father, if not more. And lying to her would do you much more damage than good, so you finally decided to admit your secret feelings to her, everything else be damned.

“I do love him,” you said, your voice steady. You chanced to glance back up to see Leia still watching you. “I love him with all my heart.”

She regarded you for a moment, silent as she processed the given information. “Did you know that he killed my own mother?”

Her bluntness had startled you, the way she said it so calmly and cold, her voice betraying nothing while her eyes blazed with a fervent fury. This was the Leia Vader had warned you about. 

“I did know,” you cleared your throat, shifting in your seat. “The Force showed it to me.”

“And you’re fine with it?” Leia asked, still unconvinced that you could be loving someone she considered to be a monster, after what he’d done to his own wife and the mother of his children.

“I never said I was,” you sighed. “But I can’t change the way I feel about him.”

“He is first and foremost a Sith Lord,” Leia started, her voice taking its tone of her political figure, the one she used during the Alliance’s briefing sessions. “You can’t trust a Sith, not to mention love one. Sith are incapable of love.”

“Then you don’t know your father well enough,” you started which earned you a vicious glare from the other woman.

“I know him enough,” she spat, rising on her feet as she glared down at you. “I know him enough to know he never even recognized me, a spitting image of my mother as he called it, when he tortured me aboard the Death Star and then hunted me down for years afterwards, only wanting me to lure out Luke. And then crawled begging for forgiveness when he realized who I was. And you dare to say that I don’t know him well enough?” she breathed harshly, curling her hands into tight balls of fists. 

You watched the young woman in front of you, her anger reminding you of Vader’s own violent nature. “I understand your anger, Leia,” you started, keeping your voice even. “His actions can never be forgotten nor excused. But I believe that people can change, my own life a testament to that. And with the right push, Vader can be changed to. He’s already changed so much.”

“He can hurt you too,” she tersely reminded you to which you sighed.

“He already did,” you admitted, much to her shocked expression. “Several times, in fact. And each time I’ve forgiven him because I love him. If I push him away, it will only hurt him more. The Dark Side is strong with him but when he’s with the ones he loves, it recedes, his Light Side showing through. I’ve seen it with my own eyes, Leia. We have to help him to pull him back, to let his Anakin side show through. It’s always been there, buried deep within his charred soul. It’s how your brother, Luke, managed to reach him.”

Leia stood still, the anger slowly dissipating from her eyes. “I have to see it with my own eyes,” she finally declared to which you nodded your head. 

“Of course,” you stood up as well, feeling the ship jerk into hyperspace. “I think it’s only fair for you to talk with him and sort out your own feelings on the matter when the time comes.”

You left her be, heading towards the back of the ship into one of the sleeping quarters, hoping to find patience to meditate on the matter. The Force felt unsettled for the past week and it left a bitter taste in your mouth, not knowing what was happening in the galaxy and with Vader. You had a few hours before you reached your destination, so you settled down, determined to find peace no matter what. You had a suspicion you needed that semblance of peace before you met with the remainder of the Alliance’s High Command.

___

“Isn’t this a bit risky to settle down on what was just recently considered to be the Empire’s territory?” you asked once you were cleared for landing on Ebaq 9, a natural satellite of the Deep Core, one of the moons orbiting around planet Ebaq located in the Treskov system, one the Empire frequently liked to use.

“All the better to use this as our new hideout,” Leia explained as she watched the barren planetoid’s surface come into view. “No one will suspect that we would try and occupy the base so soon after the Empire abandoned their mines and deserted their facility. Deep Core Mining had long moved on from the Deep Core.”

You shot her a skeptical look but refrained from commenting on it. After what happened with Da Soocha V, you were surprised that the Alliance would take such risks and settle their base here. But then you figured, the Rebellion had nothing else to lose and the extra risk won’t do them any more harm than what was already done to them with Palpatine’s attack. 

You took a deep breath as the _Millenium Falcon_ finally landed on the smooth surface right outside the small facility, hidden from the onlookers if they were to fly over the moon’s surface. You were immediately greeted by some of the Rebel’s soldiers with Mon Mothma present at the forefront, her face hard as she watched you all make your way down the ramp, with Chewie left behind to monitor the frequencies on the ship, in case you had to make for a sudden escape. 

“Mothma,” Leia breathed as she hugged the older woman, skipping the unnecessary pleasantries. 

“Leia,” Mothma nodded her head, her gaze skimming over Han until it landed on you, her face twisting into a grimace. “Solo, [Y/N],” she pointedly drawled your name, narrowing her eyes on you. 

“Let’s take it inside,” Leia announced, feeling the tension rolling off the woman in front of her. Mothma obliged, motioning for the rest of the Rebels to follow in. Once inside, you all made your way inside one of the briefing rooms, much smaller than what you were used to. The only other being present in the room was Admiral Ackbar, as he calmly watched you all enter, sitting a top of a makeshift seat made out of empty crates left behind by the Empire.

“Now that we are all here,” Mothma started, closing the door. “I am curious to see why you called for an emergency meeting, Leia.”

“I’m sure you’ve heard of Vader ascension to the throne,” Leia started without any preamble. Mothma nodded her head, her gaze flickering to you and then back to Leia. “I’m here to dispel any rumors circulating around the rest of the factions and set things in perspective that we can both agree on.”

“Whatever do you mean by that, Leia?” Mothma asked, keeping her face stoic.

“Perhaps it’s best to hear from the person who organized the insurgence on Coruscant in order to eliminate Thrawn from our way,” Leia motioned for you, as everyone’s gaze fell on you. 

“And why should we trust your word?” Mothma finally asked, the question quite expectant but still irking you enough to subtly roll your eyes at her scolding gaze on you.

“Because you shouldn’t trust the word of Palpatine,” you replied, shrugging your shoulders. “And quite honestly, I am surprised you would listen to the propaganda being spewed on the HoloNews _now_ , while you disregarded anything they’ve ever said since the inception of the Galactic Empire.”

“And I should trust the man we all believed to be the hero of the Republic, while he turned on the Senate, slaughtered his fellow Jedi and then hunted the rest down as dogs?” Mothma exclaimed, her voice a high pitch sound, so unlike her usual calmness. 

“Because Palpatine fed him lies just as he did to all of you,” you reminded her. From what you knew reading the history databases, the Senate had granted Palpatine full extent of the Emergency Powers, thus allowing him to be in control of the Senate past his elected term. He had tricked everyone, including the Jedi Council. 

“All Vader wants is power,” Mothma hissed through her clenched teeth. “I’ve witnessed his actions plenty of times during my Senate reign to know him well enough that he won’t stop until he gets what he wants.”

“That may be so,” you conceded. “But his current actions stem from the desire to do what is right.”

“And what would that be?” Mothma narrowed her eyes.

“To bring peace and justice into this world. To protect what he treasures the most,” your gaze flickered to Leia. “To kill Palpatine once and for all.”

Mothma scoffed. “And then what? He achieves that, and then his next goal would be to hunt us down to ensure there will be no backlash from any opposing insurgencies that may undermine his rule.”

“I was hoping the Alliance would agree on a truce,” you finally said, tired of the bickering and the same concerns you’ve already gone through and explained to Leia when you first arrived at Takodana. 

“Truce?” Mothma repeated, the word catching her off guard. 

“Truce,” you repeated, drawing the attention of General Ackbar, who up until that point was silently regarding your conversation with the Chancellor. 

“What can we expect from your offer?” he asked, leaning on the crate he was sitting on. 

“I was hoping you would be willing to work with Vader,” you slowly started, conscious of the words you spoke. You did not want them to get any wrong ideas or insinuate anything besides what you presented to them. “To put your differences aside and restart anew, with a new goal in mind to make this galaxy a better place.”

“With Vader ultimately ruling as an Emperor?” Ackbar asked. 

“For now,” you hurriedly interjected before Mothma had the chance to intervene. “He is the only one capable in still maintaining the semblance of peace in this galaxy.”

“What guarantee do we have that he won’t turn into another Palpatine?” Mothma finally asked.

“Reinstating the Senate,” Leia finally cut in, drawing the attention of the other woman on her. “Allow me to propose this offer to my father. I’m sure he would be willing to listen to our offer if I’m present alongside you,” Leia shot you a look, once you couldn’t quite decipher the meaning of.

“We hardly had any power in the Senate before it was disassembled, Leia,” Mothma pointedly reminded the younger woman.

“Then let’s make it so that the Senate gets its power back,” Leia stated. “Propose a legitimate government with Vader in the center of it all, until the galaxy recovers enough to become a newly reinstated Republic.”

It was silent in the room, Chancellor Mothma and General Ackbar both considering Leia’s proposal. 

“And Vader is willing to cooperate with us?” Mothma finally asked, now looking pointedly at you. 

“He is willing to ensure that the galaxy does not fall back to what it used to be during Palpatine’s reign,” you answered, giving the woman a cryptic answer. You weren’t quite sure what Vader thought of it all in the first place. After all, he wasn’t quite ready to become the next Emperor but had no choice on the matter. You weren’t even sure what his own political views were, beside that one time you briefly discussed it in his personal quarters aboard the _Executor_. 

“Very well,” Mothma finally conceded but not before she voiced a new request. “Then I suppose nothing is stopping us from having this discussion with Vader now.”

“As a matter of fact, there is,” you replied. “With the way the galaxy was left in shambles, it will take a considerate amount of effort on Vader’s part to get the Imperial Navy under his control while Palpatine still rules in the shadows. Not to mention from the political standpoint, he has to convince the Moffs and Governors of his position. Forming a truce with the Alliance, who the rest of the galaxy considers to be a terrorist group, will undoubtedly tip the scale to an unfavorable position for Vader. I’m afraid the only option left to do is wait.”

“ _Wait?_ ” Ackbar exclaimed. 

“Palpatine can still influence his way around,” you reminded him. “For Vader, he has to tread cautiously while he searches for Palpatine’s location. Any wrong move, and he could be the next one killed. As of right now, he is still a puppet in a way, playing right into Palpatine’s hand. For reasons Vader and I could not fathom. Adding the Alliance into this mix can only set off the scale and force Palpatine’s hand much sooner. We cannot risk that.”

“Unfortunately, I must agree with her,” Leia cut in. “Which is the reason why I called for this meeting. I want the Rebellion to cease their movement, to lay low, to not do any reckless things and _especially_ to stay away from Vader.”

“Leia, you know I don’t have the means to relay this information to all our factions,” Mothma replied.

“ _You_ don’t, but the Empire does. If you record a message, I can transmit it safely back to my father through a secure transmission.”

“And who’s to say he won’t modify it?” Mothma asked, recalling the fact that Palpatine altered the footage of Vader during his trial.

“He won’t,” you answered, truly believing in that. He told you it was up to you to guide Leia in the right direction and her decision would ultimately affect Vader’s own life and his role in the Empire. You knew if he received the transmission from Leia that he would listen to it and heed her words. Regardless of what he’d done in his previous role as Palpatine’s enforcer, Darth Vader ceased to exist long before you stumbled on him back on Tritus. By then, he was but a shell of his former self, his Vader side existing only for the purpose of simply retaining his former self he clung so deeply to, afraid of that said change. You truly believed that he would never hurt Leia, not like she still believed he would, and that he would do almost anything she asked, like signing the truce with the Rebel Alliance. 

“Leia, a word with you,” Mothma asked, giving you a pointed look. “Alone, if you would allow us.”

You shrugged your shoulders, leaving the room with Han behind you as you made your way back to the _Millennium Falcon_. Your role for this meeting was concluded. Now it was up to Mothma to finally agree with the terms of negotiations. 

“Well, that went far better than I expected,” Han replied right next to you, kicking the dirt with his boot.

“We have yet to hear their decision,” you reminded him.

“Leia will convince them,” Han assured you. “It’s what she does best.”

You hummed in agreement, a comfortable silence settling between you and Solo. “Say, what do you think of Qi’ra?” you suddenly asked, curious to know his response. 

“Qi’ra?” he exclaimed, his expression wild and addled, the question clearly throwing him off. “Why would you need to know about that?”

“I’m curious,” you admitted, smirking at him. 

“She is just… someone I used to know,” he finally answered. 

“Someone you had feelings for?” you asked, earning another surprised look from Solo.

“That obvious, huh?” he laughed, scratching the back of his head. “Leia noticed it too.”

You almost rolled your eyes. “It’s quite obvious when you trail Qi’ra all around Takodana and practically hover over her.”

“Well, i couldn’t help it -” he sheepishly started and this time you definitely rolled your eyes.

“I think Leia likes you a lot, and you like her too. It’s about damn time you make it official and announce your relationship to those around you. If not, you risk losing not just her but Qi’ra too.”

“Well, jeez, _thanks_ ,” Han muttered. “I was very much looking forward to your own advice on the matter of my personal life,” he replied sarcastically. 

“Sorry,” you muttered, catching Leia walking towards you from the corner of your eye. “I’m just trying to look out for you.”

“Says the one who had fallen head over heels with none other than Darth Vader himself,” he rolled his eyes while you stared at the man with your own shocked expression written on your face. “I might have overheard your conversation with Leia,” he shrugged, an unapologetic look in his eyes as you glared at him. 

“Is everything alright?” Leia asked, shooting you both a worrisome look, to which Han laughed and you smiled.

“Everything is just _peachy_ , princess,” he grinned while she elbowed him in the gut. 

“I got the recording,” she announced, withdrawing a small disk from the inside pocket of her jacket. “Looks like we were successful in convincing the High Command. The rest now lies in my father’s hands.”

You nodded your head. “Let’s get this recording to him as soon as we can.”

“I’m on it,” Leia answered, heading inside the ship. “I’m sure Artoo has a trick or two up his sleeve in sending decoded transmissions discreetly to Vader.”

“I would hope so,” Han muttered, following after her. “I don’t want the Empire tracking _my_ ship, _again_.”

“Oh quit pouting,” Leia laughed. “Look at what happened when the Empire decided to take your ship. They fixed this scrapland of garbage. For once, it actually _looks_ like a ship.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Han flicked his hand. “I am well aware of your reserved opinions about my ship.”

You followed behind then, keeping some distance from their bickering selves, your mind elsewhere. You accomplished what you came here for. It was now up to Vader to ensure he would keep his own promises. You felt like your role in all this was finally coming to a conclusion. It was a bittersweet feeling, knowing that if you were to suddenly disappear, the galaxy would still revolve around itself, with Vader having Leia by his side. 

Your fingers once again started playing with the ring, absentmindedly, while you felt the _Millennium Falcon_ take off. You felt a pang of fatigue suddenly overtaking you and you shook your head, trying to clear off the haze. You haven’t been feeling quite like yourself for the past week, attributing your symptoms to the fact that you were just exhausted and experiencing stress, on top of feeling a longing and pining for Vader. Leia was right, you _did_ miss him. It was a foreign feeling, one you’ve never experienced before meeting Vader. He had fastly become a steadfast anchor in your life and you weren’t even aware how far you’ve become attached to him until it was too late.

You needed a rest, and before you knew it, you had fallen asleep on one of the cots, your mind troubled even when dreaming. A disarray of visions had bombarded your dreamy state and you were vaguely aware that someone was screaming, a distant echo in the depths of your mind. It was a warning, from the Force. Everything was far from being over. One image kept replaying itself over and over again, sickly yellow eyes starting lifelessly at you and a cackling voice, chilling you to the bone resonating in your ears.

_You are mine._

**End of Part Four**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The part with Leia was supposed to be awkward and also very tense and emotional, because the reader finally admitted her feelings for Vader when Leia called her out on it. Leia honestly doesn't get _why_ the reader loves Vader of all people. Which is why she threw the whole "my mother is dead because of him" at her. It was her weapon of choice to emotionally harm the reader but it backfired. Leia is still very confused about how she feels about Vader and I'm hoping to touch up on that in one of the chapters down the road. 
> 
> Also, apparently, I've been spelling Mon Mothma's name all wrong this whole time (I fixed it now and it took me over an hour to find all the spelling mistakes) and no one pointed it out? I now feel like a bad Star War's fan if I couldn't even spell her name right. Imagine my shock when I was putting her name into character section and was like _that's now how you spell it_ and then had to look it up and oh my god I was about to flip out. I just thought it was kind of funny and should mention it to y'all lol. 
> 
> Concluding chapter of Part Four! Ten more chapters to go. I'm so excited to finish this story. The next few chapters are going to be filled with action if you can imagine. The showdown with Palpatine is finally here (well, almost :p). Hope you enjoyed this and stay tuned ~


	51. Luke.

You felt unsettled. 

Two weeks had passed since your return from Ebaq 9 and yet still no word from Vader, not even a transcripted transmission. The HoloNews failed to mention Vader’s activities, as though they were forced to remain silent. The galaxy was waiting with a held breath for what was to come next. Even on Takodana, a planet removed from the center of the galaxy, the Force felt uncertain. Something was brewing on the horizon, something dark and sinister. Palpatine was on the move. 

Your connection to the Force was undoubtedly growing stronger with each passing day. You felt more connected to it as you wandered the halls of Maz’s castle, the whispers of the Force tangible in the air, pulling you in. There was _something_ here amidst the castle that you couldn’t quite ignore, its insistent calling was starting to make you lose your patience. It was time to ask Maz some questions.

You found her sitting behind her counter at the bar, serving an alcoholic beverage to one of her customers, chatting away with them until her eyes settled on you, threading through the bodies of people with a serious look on your face. Her demeanor instantly changed and as she waived the customer away just in time for you to sit down in front of her on the same stool that was preoccupied just a second ago.

“You have questions,” Maz started without any preamble.

“Yes,” you nodded, slightly surprised. “And it’s time for you to answer them.”

Maz simply nodded, her eyes focusing on you as she removed her glasses. “I suppose it’s time.”

You frowned. “You are Force-sensitive, aren’t you?”

Maz paused, her face wrinkling even more until she leaned forward to you, keeping her voice barely above a whisper. “My connection to the Force is undoubtedly nothing like yours,” she confirmed. 

“Then you’re not a Jedi?”

“Force no, child,” Maz waved her hand once more. “My abilities were never enough for me to join the Jedi Order. And who am I to fool if I were to say I wanted to be a part of them. My life belongs _here_ , on Takodana. I’m quite reserved being the “pirate queen” and serving the criminal underworld of the galaxy,” she chuckled.

You paused. “Then… what _is_ this place?”

Maz’s eyes twinkled, an understanding look passing her eyes. “So you feel it too,” she smiled. “The Force feels strong in this place.”

You nodded. “It does.”

“This castle was once occupied by the Jedi,” Maz started and your eyes widened. “This is an ancient site, built many millennia ago. A great battle raged here between the Jedi and the Sith. What you feel is the presence of those Jedi Knights buried beneath the castle, their tombs sealed in the catacombs.”

A child’s laughter had caught your attention and you whipped your head to look around. There were no children present around you. An instant nausea hit you and you almost doubled over, barely holding in the breakfast you had earlier.

“Are you alright, child?” Maz asked, concern written in her eyes. 

“I’m… _fine_ ,” you breathed through your nausea. “Must have been something I ate.”

“Are you sure?” Maz continued, watching you as you finally managed to contain yourself. “Perhaps a visit to the doctor can - “

“I said I’m fine,” you snapped and instantly regretted it, seeing as Maz’s face fell, her eyes giving you an odd look. This woman was nothing but hospitable to you and here you were, being ungrateful to her as you yelled in her face. Your emotions were getting harder to control, your moodiness was starting to affect even you. You hated feeling like this. 

More laughter, this time closer. It drew your attention away from Maz as you scrunched your nose to locate the noise. 

“I’m sorry,” you finally told her, raising yourself from the stool as you threaded through the bodies of people, searching for the noise. You didn’t think you'd seen any children around this place, but perhaps someone had arrived the night before. Why you cared about such a thing was beyond you, but something drew you to the noise and before you knew it, you were at the top of the stairs, looking down into what appeared to be the lower level of the castle, down into the dungeons and catacombs of this place. 

_Come…_

A whisper resonated around you, the Force swirling and weaving itself through you, and you instinctively stepped down, going down the stairs as though in a daze. You’ve never been here before, never felt the need to search what laid below the castle.

You felt a push, as an invisible force guided you through the dark dungeons, the only thing illuminating the stones were the sporadic lights placed around each of the sealed doors. You kept walking, kept searching, the noise increasing in its volume until you finally stopped at the end of the passage, looking at the door slightly ajar in front of you, as though waiting for your arrival. 

You hesitated, looking around the place. There was no one in sight around you, the only sound was your own breathing and the fast hammering of your heart. You felt a new pang of nausea hitting you and you winced, your hand instinctively holding on to your stomach. Maybe you should pay a visit to the doctor after all.

You entered the room, the darkness overtaking your senses as you tried to adjust your eyes. But nothing felt threatening, the Force feeling as strong as ever in this place, beckoning you to look. Look for _what_? 

There was clutter all around you, shelves filled with boxes and crates, some stuff scattered around the floors, everything jumbled in one big mess. This looked more like a storage than anything else and you were about to turn around until your gaze settled on an old box, dusty from its years of unuse, sitting on one of the crates in the center of the room, the dim light of the chamber casting a mysterious glow on it. The Force swirled. This was it. 

You slowly approached the box, keeping your gaze on it as though expecting for something to burst open, cautious in your movements until you were in front of it and lowering yourself on the ground on the eye level with the box as you reached for its latches. What gretted your sight was the last thing you expected to see amidst these belongings and on this planet.

A lightsaber. 

The sleek design of the weapon looked almost familiar to you as though you’ve seen it somewhere before and you tentatively raised your hand, reaching towards the hilt of the weapon, your eyes focused on the black ridges of the lightsaber’s hilt, reminding you of someone else’s design, one you’ve seen too many times wielded by Darth Vader himself. 

This couldn't be. It was just a coincidence. 

The Force stilled as you grabbed the handle of the weapon and then your world tipped back and you let out a loud shriek, your surroundings changing in front of you as you fell on the floor. 

_This weapon is your life._

You swirled your head to the sound of the voice but it was already gone and replaced by another. 

_Its energy surrounds us… binds us._

A child’s cry. You saw the same boy from your vision, looking at you with a broken expression on his face unlike that of a child. A dark hooded figure stood behind him, holding on to the boy’s shoulder with a deathly grip. 

_He shall become much stronger than his own father._

You gasped, the scene changing once more, your surroundings morphing into what appeared to be a dark hallway, luminated by the blue lights. An unmistakable breathing of Vader’s respirator resonated through the space, chilling you as you felt a surge of an immense power slamming against your shields, momentarily stunning you. 

_If you only knew the power of the Dark Side._

You started running as the hallway turned and collapsed under your feet and the next second you had fallen on the molten rocks of the fiery planet, its surroundings too familiar to you to mistake it for anything other than Mustafar.

A man’s voice, broken and filled with so much pain, speaking through his anguished tears as you watched the scene unfold in front of you, your breath hitching in your throat. The moment Anakin Skywalker perished and Darth Vader reborn from the ashes of the lava river.

_You were the Chosen One! It was said that you would destroy the Sith, not join them! Bring balance to the Force, not leave it in darkness._

The scene shifted again and you were once more crouched on the floor, the darkness of the place illuminated by the strikes of lightning. You peered into the darkness, seeing a shadowy figure looming over you, its features concealed from your eyes. 

_Rise, my apprentice and fulfill your destiny._

A sudden cry startled you and you whipped your head to see Vader’s body tormented by the surge of lightning coming from the fingertips of the figure, your vision blurred from your heavy tears. You gasped, trying to reach for Vader but instead were met with nothingness, your surroundings changing once more. 

_Your father’s lightsaber. This is the weapon of a Jedi Knight._

Luke Skywalker was standing in front of you, his essence transparent as he gazed at you with a solemn look on his face.

_You must save him. Save my father. The Force will guide you._

You shook your head, trying to speak only for you to choke on your silent words as the scene changed and a child was standing in front of you, smiling as she gazed at you with _your_ eyes.

_Trust, mama. That’s what you tell daddy and Luke all the time. Trust in the Force._

The world spinned, your vision clouded by more images and scenery too fast for you to see and decipher until everything abruptly stopped and you fell on a ground with a loud grasp, the hilt of the lightsaber falling from your grasp and rolling on the floor away from you. You sat still in the room, your eyes wide, your body shaking as you tried processing the visions the Force showed you, your mind having a hard time wrapping around everything you’ve witnessed. 

You felt her before you even saw her and when you turned your head you saw Maz standing at the entrance to the room, her eyes having a knowing look in them as she gazed at you. 

“What,” you hissed, clenching your teeth as you raised yourself from the ground. “What _was_ that?”

Maz stepped in as she locked her gaze on the lightsaber laying on the floor before she picked it up, dusting the hilt with her fingertips with a gentle sweep. 

“I’ve had this for years. Stored it away, locked it in the box from unwanted eyes, waiting for the right moment until it called to its rightful owner,” she started, slowly twirling the weapon in her hands. “And it chose _you_.”

You clenched your hands into fists. “Whose lightsaber is this?”

Maz raised her head to look at you. “You already know the answer to that.”

You shook your head, refusing to believe it. 

“This lightsaber was Luke’s. And his father’s before him,” Maz went on, only confirming your speculations with her words.

The tremors in your body only intensified more. “And why do _you_ have it?”

Maz smiled. “They don’t call me a “pirate queen” for nothing,” she gave you a rather cryptic answer before noticing the look in your eyes. 

“This doesn’t belong to me,” you shook your head, heading towards the exit of the room until Maz stepped in front of you. 

“The Force had chosen _you_ ,” Maz repeated, stopping you in your tracks. “Dear child, I see your eyes. You don’t want to believe the truth that’s laid out before you.”

“I’m _no one_ ,” you spat, sudden anger overtaking you. “I should have no part in this. I can’t… can’t save _him_ . I’m not his child, I’m not Luke… I’m just _me_.”

Maz simply stared at you as you slowly started breaking down in front of a woman, tears streaming down your face. 

“You are more than what you believe you are,” she finally said, extending the lightsaber to you. “The saber, take it. It will guide you to the right path.”

You swallowed a lump in your throat, biting your lip as you extended your hand before quickly snatching it away. 

“I’m sorry… I _can’t_.”

You ran past her, aware of the eyes boring on your back as you fled the dungeons, running past the cantina and the many bodies of humanoid creatures and other species gathered in one place, the music and smell of alcohol jumbling together and making you feel nauseous and sick all over again. You felt your insides clench, the desire to dispose of the meal you had earlier much stronger than before. You stumbled towards the nearest corner, away from prying eyes, holding on to your mouth as you tried to contain your spew, only for you to retch everything out the next second as you doubled over, nearly crying as you held on to the wall with your shaky hands.

“Are you alright?” 

The voice was so unexpected and so close to you that you were startled, instantly turning around to glare at the intruding person before the world spinned around you and you toppled over, falling to the ground as you lost consciousness.

___

When you regained your consciousness from your fainting spell you were immediately aware of some quiet voices whispering around you and the smell of bacta patch and other medicine waffling your senses, reminding you of the sickness you felt earlier, your stomach still feeling unsettled. When you opened your eyes, you saw that you were in what appeared to be a medical bay sectioned off from the rest of the castle. Your eyes instantly found a medical droid hovering around the space with none other than Maz Kanata and Leia standing off to the side, conversing with one another. Maz was the first to notice you were awake when she abruptly halted whatever she was about to say to Leia.

Leia followed her gaze, focusing her eyes on you as you slowly raised yourself to the sitting position on top of the medical bed. “You’re finally awake,” she said, coming up closer to you. “How are you feeling?”

Besides the excruciating headache, the horrible nausea and the overall fatigue that suddenly settled over you, you thought you were just fine so instead you answered her question with your own. 

“What’s wrong with me?”

Leia exchanged a look with Maz, one that did not escape your notice. “I suppose it’s best if the medical droid explains your… condition,” Leia started, her expression blank. Maz had excused herself from the room, hastily leaving you and Leia alone with the droid.

“Well?” you asked, impatience leaking into your voice. It also did not escape your notice that Leia was avoiding looking at you and if that didn’t set off the alarms in your head that something was wrong then the actions of the droid did as it finally rolled around the bedside, trying to insert a sort of an infusion pump into your veins through the tubing that you somehow missed were already inserted into your arm.

“What is this?” you shrieked, trying to pull your arm away.

“Miss, you are dehydrated,” the droid informed you, latching its metal fingers into your arm, pulling on you as you struggled in his grip. “Please, try to relax. It does no good for the baby when the mother is stressed and certainly not in your condition.”

“The _what_?” you asked, your eyes going wide as you finally stilled from shock, letting the droid do its work while you stared at Leia. 

“Droids, so tactful,” Leia snorted, rolling her eyes, the action so unlady like and certainly not befitting the princess. She finally turned her head to look at you. “You are pregnant.”

“No, I’m not.”

Leia frowned. “Yes, you are. The droid confirmed it with the blood test - “

“I was placed on a birth control,” you argued, shaking your head. “There is no way that I’m pregnant - “

“There was no trace of any birth control hormones in your bloodstream,” the droid interrupted you as it finished attaching the pump. “I’m afraid the system that you used was either defective or failed - “

“This can’t be,” you gasped for breath. “I was told it would be active for a whole month. It hadn’t been a month - “

“The date of conception occurred approximately two weeks ago,” the droid continued on, disregarding your obvious concern and your mental breakdown as you stared blankly at it. “Which places the fertilization of your egg a week before that.”

“What the hell does this even mean?” you hissed through your clenched teeth.

“It means you conceived three weeks ago,” Leia stated, her brown eyes piercing through you.

_Three weeks ago._ You stared blankly at the woman in front of you, trying to wrap your head around this new information. Three weeks ago you were still with Vader, which meant... Your eyes widened. The _Gala_. The night with Vader on the balcony. 

“Is…”Leia cleared her throat, the conversation was obviously difficult for her to maintain. “Is it my father’s?”

You closed your eyes, trying to take a few deep breaths as you tried to come up with an answer that would please her. Instead, you told her the truth. “It is.”

Silence on the other end and when you’ve had enough of the uncomfortable break in your awkward conversation, you opened your eyes, sneaking a peak at the other woman. She was still staring at you with an unidentifiable expression on her face. 

“I see,” she finally replied, finally lowering her gaze to look at her hands. 

You bit the inside of your lip, willing yourself to stay calm. There would be time for you to question all this and feel sorry for yourself, crying your heart out in the confines of your own room. Right now you needed to clarify some things with Leia.

“Are you - “ you started, looking for the right word. You finally settled on the one that made the most sense. “Are you _disappointed_?”

“What?” Leia looked up at you with a questioning look in her eyes and a small frown gracing her features.

“I asked if you were disappointed,” you continued. “In me. That I failed the mission, dragged the Rebellion through hell, managed to fall in love with your father and now… _pregnant_ with his child,” the word still felt foreign to you.

Leia stared at you as though you had two heads instead of one. “No,” she shook her head, finally snapping from her stupor. “I’m not disappointed, I’m just… appalled.”

She took a deep breath as you waited for her to continue. You felt she had some things to say on this matter and it was only fair to listen her out.

“I’m just… I mean he is _Darth Vader_ ,” she raised her voice only to quickly glance around to see the droid minding his own business in the corner of the room with no other souls nearby you. She continued with a more hushed voice. “He is twice your age!”

You sighed, rubbing your eyes with your hand. “I know. Trust me Leia, _I know_.”

“He is my _father_ ,” she continued, as though she didn’t hear you. The woman was in clear shock, more so than you when you found out about your pregnancy. “And we are the same age,” she pointed her finger at you, gesturing between herself and you. 

“I’m aware of that,” you sighed again. 

“And you find him _attractive_?” she asked with an incredulous voice, having a hard time believing that was even a possibility. 

“Very much so,” you answered her, feeling yourself heating up. You’ve never imagined you’d be having this conversation with Leia of all people. You once were distant with her, treating her as a mere General until you met Darth Vader and then something changed (namely your closeness to Vader and your growing feelings for him), and now you were having a discussion about her father and the father of your child as though you were mere friends, gossiping about recent news circulating the network. 

“I can’t believe this,” she groaned, shaking her head, her own blush coloring her cheeks. “I was very much hoping there would be no more offsprings from Vader, yet here we are.”

You subconsciously raised your arm to place a hand on your stomach, feeling a new onset of nausea hitting you. You must have made a face because Leia was instantly at your side, looking at you with a concern. 

“Are you alright?”

“Not really,” you answered truthfully, because you _were_ feeling quite sick. 

“Is this normal?” you asked once the droid came over to your side once more, looking over your readings on its screen above your bed. 

“You have much higher stress levels than normal, miss,” the droid answered, only spiking your apprehension further with its words. “You are also very malnourished, have vitamin-deficiency and severely dehydrated. It is what caused you to collapse on the floor and be brought here.”

“And the baby?” you asked with a panic in your voice, missing the look Leia sent you at your obvious concern for the fetus’s safety. 

“As long as you follow my directions and suggestions, the baby will be fine,” the droid reassured you. “But I would suggest keeping you at the medbay for at least a few days. You must reabsorb the lost nutrients through the pump.”

You hissed, the thought of spending the days and nights at the medbay was very unappealing to you until Leia laid her hand on your shoulder, drawing your attention back to her. 

“We have all the time right now,” she softly spoke, her other hand raised and placed on top of yours covering your stomach. “I think you should take that time to care for yourself and the growing child inside of you. I would hate to imagine what my father would do if he learned that you were risking yours and the baby’s lives.”

At the mention of Vader, you flinched, recalling a vision you saw earlier this day. Leia misinterpreted your reaction her own way as she gave you a small squeeze on your shoulder.

“It’s okay. I won’t let anyone harm you nor my sibling.”

You looked at Leia with wide eyes to see her smiling. 

“Despite how much I’m still having a hard time believing I will be a big sister, I think this _change_ is needed for everyone, especially for Vader,” Leia withdrew her hand, giving you a small nod of her head.

“If you could please not tell anyone,” you started but Leia interrupted you.

“Of course,” she smirked. “This is no one’s business outside _our_ family. Once you are ready to reveal it to the rest, I will be there to support you.”

You smiled, relieved to hear that somehow Leia accepted the inevitable truth and turned it around to make the best out of it. She wasn’t holding you accountable for your own mistakes, for your own negligence and carelessness in your times with Vader. There was no point dwelling on what if’s and how’s, the act had been done and now you were carrying the product of your love making in your womb, already filled with love from the big sister.

“You should rest,” Leia suggested and you nodded, still feeling quite exhausted and tired, a by-product of your stressful days worrying about Vader and your early onset symptoms of pregnancy. “I will be back to check on you later.”

She walked out of the room, leaving you alone with the droid, who finished adjusting the nutrient pump attached to your arm while giving you a set of instructions, your mind not paying much attention to it. Your focus was on your hand still resting on your stomach, feeling for the presence of life inside of you. You almost missed the undeniable light emitting from the center of your womb, small and flickering, barely distinguishable even to your own senses. But it was there, the life inside of you. Your child. Your _son_.

Luke.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was my own take of the scene in TFA in Maz's castle with Rey. Our heroine finally finds Skywalker's lightsaber, the Force showing her the visions of the past and the future. I think it's pretty self explanatory what was happening in her visions but just to clarify who said what: 
> 
> Obi-Wan to Anakin: _This weapon is your life._
> 
> Yoda: _Its energy surrounds us… binds us._ Taken directly from the TFA.
> 
> Palpatine (about young Luke): _He shall become much stronger than his own father._
> 
> Darth Vader to Luke S. (on Bespin): _If you only knew the power of the Dark Side._
> 
> Obi-Wan to Anakin/Vader: _You were the Chosen One! It was said that you would destroy the Sith, not join them! Bring balance to the Force, not leave it in darkness._
> 
> Palpatine: _Rise, my apprentice and fulfill your destiny._
> 
> Obi-Wan to Luke S.: _Your father’s lightsaber. This is the weapon of a Jedi Knight._
> 
> Luke S. to the reader: _You must save him. Save my father. The Force will guide you._
> 
> Reader's daughter to the reader: _Trust, mama. That’s what you tell daddy and Luke all the time. Trust in the Force._
> 
> Take it and interpret it however much you want. I very much enjoyed writing this chapter. I think you all already expected her pregnancy so here it is, finally confirmed to you. Leia's reaction was fun to write and some of you may consider her to take it very lightly. I believe her nature would never openly criticize the reader, she may be unhappy but ruining the moment of pregnancy with her screaming/yelling is beneath the royal princess. She is just trying to be supportive in this difficult situation.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed it ~


	52. Of course.

You were pacing in the confines of your own room, your mind whirling with thoughts of Vader. You hadn’t heard from him ever since you arrived on Takodana and it was starting to concern you. The HoloNews were doing a report of Vader’s achievements within the last month of him acclaiming the throne, but so far none of the information seemed to indicate that Vader was in any particular danger. But the Force felt  _ wrong _ , and you could feel the darkness creeping on the edge of your awareness, its tendrils weaving and poisoning your senses. Something felt out of place, out of balance. And your mind refused to let go of the vision the Force had shown you of Vader being tormented by the surge of lightning on the brink of his own death. It was a warning. The Force was trying to warn you what would happen should Vader meet with his master, Palpatine. Vader would  _ die _ . 

And you had no way of communicating with Vader. Ever since Leia sent the encrypted message to Vader through Artoo, the connection seemed to die out, as though Vader was blocking the transmission on his end himself. You didn’t know why, didn’t know the meaning behind his actions. The only soothing thought that comforted you was last night’s transmission from Mothma to Leia, telling her that the rest of Rebel’s factions had received her message telling them to stay low. It was transmitted on the Rebel’s private channels and you yourself watched the message Mothma sent out. Which meant that Vader was able to transmit it galaxy-wide without anyone tracking the signal back to him. Which could have also meant that he agreed with Mothma’s terms, although you weren’t quite sure what to make of Vader’s decisions if you couldn’t even feel him through the Force.

You were still pacing around the room, twirling the cloaking device with your fingers, contemplating with yourself on how to reach Vader without giving away your own presence in the Force to Palpatine. You knew it was a risk to take the ring off but you also knew that contacting Vader was on the top of your lists, regardless of how you managed to do so. You needed to warn Vader, one way or another.

With a heavy and exaggerated sigh, you dropped down on the floor into a meditative position, hoping to tap into the Force and seek Vader out that way. You’ve done such a thing before when you meditated with Vader on Vjun, but back then you were in close proximity to him, sitting right across from him. Now, you had to tread through billions of light years across the galaxy and seek his almost non-existent presence in the Force. Such a feat was impossible, you’ve been telling yourself that for days but it was still worth a try before you decided to try some other extreme measures.

You closed your eyes, feeling the surrounding presence of the Force in this place, your senses picking up other Force-sensitive beings somewhere close to you. Maz Kanata and Leia were down below, away from your own room, their Force signatures clearly distinguishable as a bright beacon of light steadily burning in the otherwise muted presence of others around them. You briefly focused on the flickering presence inside of you, now steadily growing stronger with each passing day. You smiled despite having a heavy burden on your chest. This child was going to change your life just as much as it would change Vader’s. You were apprehensive and terrified at the prospect of telling him that your vision came true. But you set these concerns aside, focusing on the task at hand.

You slowly entered the meditative state, your body feeling like it was floating in the space between the living and the netherworld, your surroundings muted. You felt for the presence of Vader, focusing on the signature and your bond with him, feeling for the flicker of connection. You didn’t even realize that you were tapping in to the child’s presence inside of you, a knot that was undoubtedly connecting you to Vader in the most inexplicable ways. So when you heard the unmistakable sound of Vader’s respirator in the distance, you pushed forward, seeking out the presence until you latched on to it, dragging your consciousness with it.

You heard muted voices, someone speaking with Vader, the sounds of shuffled feet and beeping controls of the surrounding machinery. Your body felt light yet you could feel the surface under your body still positioned into a meditative state. So when you finally opened your eyes, you were surprised to find yourself at the edge of the bridge aboard the  _ Executor _ , with officers shuffling about and around you, not paying you any mind. They simply could not see you.

You hastily raised yourself to your feet, seeking out Vader. There, you could see him at the forefront of the viewport, standing in all his black glory, his helmet and mask shining in the artificial lights of the ship, speaking with Piett on some matters. You stepped forward, and then took a few more steps, not quite believing your eyes that your endeavor succeeded and that you were the one that initiated this connection with him, not the Force playing its tricks on you whenever it wanted.

“Vader!” you called out, your voice sounding muffled to your ears as though you were in a drugged state. 

He sharply turned his head and you knew that he could see you, the only being aboard the ship that could see and hear you, much to your delighted state. It meant that you didn’t have to hide from anyone, that you could speak with Vader without fearing that someone would overhear your words.

He excused himself from the Grand Admiral and hastily approached you, signaling with his hand to follow him, not saying a word to you or acknowledging your presence amidst his officers. Only when you finally reached his personal quarters and he locked the door behind him, did he finally speak.

“What are you doing here?” he hissed, his voice sounding rough through the modulator.

“I sought you out,” you admitted, sweeping your gaze over his towering form.

“ _ Sought me out? _ ” he repeated, growling under the mask. It appeared he wasn’t too happy to see you. “I told you to stay low and not to attempt to contact me,” he started.

“No, you told me not to take the damn ring off,” you raised your hand to show him you still had it on.

“I remember explicitly telling you to also not to contact me under  _ any _ circumstances,” his voice boomed and you huffed, becoming annoyed with him.

“Well, the circumstances have changed,” you crossed your arms over your chest and glared at him.

“This isn’t the trick of the Force,” he continued, raising his gloved hand to sweep his fingers across your cheek. “How did you manage to do this?”

You shrugged. “Just focused on our connection and then here I was, aboard your ship.”

Vader watched you, the silence becoming almost unsettling. “What circumstances did you speak of?”

You sighed. “Really? Not even ‘ _ Hello. How are you? How are things with you? _ ’”

Vader groaned, his modulator distorting the noise. “And here I thought I was beginning to miss your snippy remarks and your impertinent attitude.”

You grinned. “Ah, so you admit that you missed me?”

Vader did not reply, shifting his stance as he mimicked your pose, his eyes glaring at you through the lenses of his mask. You rolled your eyes. Vader was just as moody as ever if not worse. 

“You cut off the communications with Artoo,” you started, a hint of accusation in your voice.

“I did,” Vader nodded his head.

“Why? How are we supposed to communicate with each other if the only way to do so is now cut off on your end?”

“It was for your own protection,” Vader started.

“We are perfectly fine,” you replied.

“And I plan on making sure it stays that way,” Vader replied back.

You frowned. “How are you?  _ Really _ ?”

Vader halted, the question catching him off guard. “Fine,” he replied curtly and you narrowed your eyes.

“Are you  _ sure _ ? There weren't any hardships with ruling the Empire? Any attempts on your life, per se?”

“What are you hinting at?” Vader growled, your line of questioning raising his own suspicions. 

“You received the message from Mothma,” you started, that fact already known as Vader was the one that was able to send the transmission unanimously across the galaxy to the rest of Rebel’s factions. 

“And?” Vader shifted.

You refrained from rolling your eyes this time. Vader was making this so much more difficult than it needed to be. “ _ And _ , do you agree with her terms?”

Vader uncrossed his arms, hooking his fingers through the belt of his suit. “Did Leia or Mothma herself request for you to contact me to interrogate me on these frivolous matters?”

“They are not frivolous,” you hissed. “Look, it took me  _ hours _ to convince your daughter to even consider such an idea and then another week or so to get in touch with Mothma and have her marginally agree with Leia to  _ not _ let the Rebels attack you.”

Vader scoffed. “A futile attempt, if you ask me. I’m not as easily killed as you think me to be.”

A vision flashed before your eyes, one of Vader screaming, the sound making your insides churn. Vader noticed your look, or perhaps the way you shifted in your spot, shifting your gaze away from him. 

“What is it?” he asked, stepping closer to you.

You swallowed the lump in your throat. “I - I don’t know.”

He patiently waited for you to collect your thoughts, his gaze still boring into you as you chewed on your lip. 

“I had another vision,” you finally admitted, hating how weak your voice sounded even to your own ears. 

Vader stiffened. “What was it about?”

You shook your head. “A lot of things,” you laughed, trying to shake off the tremors in your body. “All of them hardly making any sense. I saw you…” you trailed off.

“Tell me,” he encouraged, lifting your chin with his fingers to make you look at him. 

You couldn’t find the words to describe what you saw. “I thought I heard Palpatine’s voice,” you started, staring into Vader’s lifeless mask. “And then you were there and the surge of lightning… and then the agonized cries as you were tormented,” you didn’t realize you were crying.

“Did you see me die?” Vader’s question caught you off guard. He was too calm to have just heard that you may perhaps have seen his own death.

“I - I don’t think so?” you told him with uncertainty in your voice. “The vision cut off before I could do anything - “

“You were there?” he harshly asked.

“Yes,” you were confused.

“Did you see the surroundings? What did the place look like?”

“Vader - “

“ _ Answer me _ ,” he rasped, his hold on you digging into your flesh.

You were staring at him with wide eyes, your breath hitching in your throat. “I don’t know,” you cried. “It was dark, too dark to see anything. Ruins of some sort, I thought I saw a throne in the distance with Palpatine towering over me. And streaks of lightning, continuous, the only thing illuminating the place.”

“Lightning?” Vader hissed. 

“Yes,” you breathed. 

“ _Of course_ ,” Vader breathed, releasing you as he stormed to his desk, leaving you feeling more confused and lost than before. 

“What is it?” you asked, coming up to him.

He ignored you, instead comming to someone through the transmitter on his desk. 

“Lord Vader?” Piett’s voice.

“Set course for Endor,” Vader instructed, and not waiting for the Grand Admiral's reply, ended the call.

“What’s on Endor?” you asked, watching Vader as he started pacing around the room.

“Nothing,” Vader barked, his agitation and anger visible in the way he carried himself.

“You are lying,” you accused him, stopping in front of his path. “You know something.”

“You should leave,” Vader hissed and you shook your head.

“Vader,  _ please _ ,” you begged him, trying to hold on to your tears. “Tell me.”

“It doesn’t matter,” he hissed. “Even when I find the wayfinder, only  _ I _ will be able to get to Palpatine.”

“Wayfinder?” you asked, frowning, the name making no sense to you. 

Vader pushed you aside, planning on leaving the room. You hastily followed after him, once again stopping him in his tracks when you placed yourself between him and the door to the outside of his quarters. 

“You know where he is,” you gasped, realizing just now why Vader was acting the way he did. “You know where Palpatine is hiding.”

“Move,” he barked, towering over your form as he pushed you against the door. 

“Where?” you cried, latching your fingers into his suit, trying to hold Vader in place.

“I said  _ move _ ,” he hissed, trying to push you out of the way.

“You can’t go there  _ alone _ ,” you cried. “Let me come with you,  _ please _ .”

“ _ No _ ,” he barked. “I must deal with Palpatine myself.”

“But the vision - “ you argued.

“It won’t come true if you’re not there,” he snapped, twisting his suit out of your grasp. 

“How do you know that?” you cried, fighting him as he shoved you against the door. “Half of the vision had already come true,” as soon as the words left your lips your eyes widened, realizing your mistake.

“ _ What _ ?” Vader hissed, letting go of you in his mild shock. 

“I - I,” you stumbled for words. You didn’t plan on revealing your pregnancy to Vader, not now at least. You made sure to hide your child’s Force presence before you appeared yourself in front of Vader. Now was not the best time to tell him you were carrying his child. Doing so would most certainly guarantee that Vader would never tell you of his plans, that he would only become more paranoid and cautious around you, that he would try to keep you away from him until he deemed it was safe enough for you to be around him, which was only possible if Palpatine was dead. You wanted to be with Vader when he faced Palpatine, to protect him from the wrath of his master, regardless of how foolish your wishes sounded to you inside your head. You didn’t want to place more burden on Vader. It was for the best to keep this a secret from him, regardless of how much you wanted to tell him you were carrying his son. 

A comlink had interrupted your inner turmoil, snapping Vader’s attention from you as he answered the call.

“My Lord, I have some unfortunate news.”

“What is it?” Vader snapped, stepping away from you, letting you breathe a sigh of relief that Vader was no longer trapping you with his body, that his focus was shifted to some other pressing matters. You didn’t think you’d be able to lie to him.

“The prisoner had escaped.”

“ _ What?! _ ” Vader roared and you winced, the sound of his voice straining your insides. He sounded like the Sith Lord he was, that at times you were forgetting of until now. His voice alone evoked fear in men. 

“My apologies - “

“Your apologies mean  _ nothing _ ,” Vader spat into the comlink, halting the speech of the officer on the other end. “I will deal with this myself,” he cut off the call, growling as he spun around to glare at you. 

“Vader,” you started as you pressed yourself further into the door. 

“Stay in your position,” he commanded, forgetting about your slip of the tongue just earlier. “Do  _ not _ leave your current location under any circumstances. Stay with Leia.”

You opened your mouth but Vader continued. “Do I make myself  _ clear _ ?” he growled, towering over you once more.

You nodded your head, watching Vader with tears in your eyes. “Please be safe,” you croaked, having a nagging feeling this would be the last time you’d be seeing Vader this way. 

You didn’t get to hear his reply as the scene around you evaporated, leaving you feeling breathless and cold when your senses finally returned to your own body as you awakened from your deep trance from your meditation. A knock on the door startled you and you whipped your head, feeling streaks of tears running down your face. You hastily wiped them with the back of your hand as you raised yourself from the floor, expecting to see Leia or even Maz Kanata standing on the other side of the door. You weren’t expecting to see Qi’ra.

“Qi’ra?” you exclaimed, startled to see the brunette woman.

“I hope I didn’t disturb you,” she replied and you shook your head. 

“Is there something wrong?” you asked, watching the other woman as she adjusted her jacket.

“No,” Qi’ra replied, softly smiling. “I just wanted to let you know I’ll be leaving Takodana today.”

“Today?” you asked, frowning. “What prompted your sudden departure?”

The other woman inclined her head. “I’ve been here for far too long. The duties of Crimson Dawn call to me. I must return to Dathomir.”

You exhaled. “Right, sorry. I’ve just been on edge lately.”

“You should take care of yourself,” she smiled, her gaze drifting to your lower midsection. “And your little one.”

You froze, your breath hitching in your throat. “How- how did you know that I was pregnant?”

Qi’ra smirked. “A woman’s intuition.”

You didn’t believe her. Something did not add right. “Qira - “ you started but the woman beat you to it.

“Please be careful,” she told you, giving you an odd look. “And I’m sorry.”

“Sorry?” you repeated, feeling confused. Sorry for what?

“Goodbye [Y/N],” she told you before hastily leaving you feeling confused standing by the door, your mind blank from overbearing puzzlement overriding your senses. None of this made sense. Vader’s reluctance to tell you of Palpatine’s whereabouts, his anger at finding out about the escaped prisoner, Qi’ra’s sudden departure. Everything was interconnected, you had a nagging suspicion that your senses proved to be correct. If only you could see into the future to predict just how correct you were that everything was about to go to kriffing hell. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No, Vader still does not know about the pregnancy. He might have picked up on it if he wasn't preoccupied with other things, mainly finally figuring out where Palpatine was hiding all along. And I think you guys figured it out as well. This is my own take of how the final meeting would take place. Next chapter will explain it a little bit better. One more chapter until we finally get to meet Palpatine in person :)


	53. Welcome to Hell.

You ran through the hallways of the castle, seeking out the familiar presence of Leia. You didn't have to search for long when you found her with Han outside the perimeter of the castle, both of them working on the  _ Millennium Falcon _ . Qi’ra must have taken a different ship then. 

Leia saw you approach first. “Is there something wrong?”

You weren’t quite sure yourself. “Is there something on Endor?”

“What?” the question startled Leia. 

“Endor. Is there something the Rebellion or perhaps the Empire was hiding?”

“Not to my knowledge,” Leia started, looking at you with concern in her eyes. “We’ve taken a hold of the Imperial outpost there post Endor-battle and destroyed it once we acquired all the intelligence we needed on the Empire. Why do you ask?”

This made no sense. Why would Vader want to go there? Unless…

“What happened with the remains of the Second Death Star above Endor?”

Leia exchanged looks with Han. It was Han who had answered you this time as he raised himself from the crouched position. 

“I heard some of the debri had fallen on the nearby moon orbiting around Endor,” he started. “Haven’t seen the wreckage myself but heard rumors of it.”

You jolted your head. “What’s the name of the moon?”

“Uh, Kef Bir,” he answered with uncertainty in his voice. “Are you sure you are - “

You shook your head, already turning on your heels to head back inside the castle. “Thanks, you two.”

“[Y/N]!” Leia called after you but you refused to acknowledge her. You were short on time. You had to leave Takodana immediately to make it to Kef Bir  _ before _ Vader arrived there. You had to convince him to take you with him. And find out for yourself why Vader was heading for the remains of the Second Death Star. 

You were almost to your room when Maz Kanata stopped you in your tracks by appearing in front of you with a sorrowful look on her face. You almost groaned.

“If you’re planning on stopping me, you are wasting your time,” you told her through gritted teeth. 

“I’m not here to stop you, child,” she answered, shaking her head. “Your destiny does not lie here.”

You almost rolled your eyes. “Then let me through.”

“But,” Maz started, reaching for the inside of her jacket to take out Skywalker’s lightsaber. “You must take this.”

This time you groaned out loud. “I told you I have no right to this weapon. I want no part of this.”

Maz refused to back down. “This weapon belongs to the Chosen One. You  _ must _ bring it to him.”

“The Chosen One,” you scoffed, spitting the words out like they were venom. “The one who was said would bring balance to the Force? The same one that destroyed the whole Jedi Order? The one who now claims he’s a Sith? You are delusional to think Vader wants any part of his past life. Trust me when I say he doesn’t want it.”

“It is not up to you to decide what he wants,” Maz answered. “In the time of need you will need this lightsaber to remind him of his true self.  _ Take it _ .”

You snatched the weapon from the woman’s hands, fed up with her lectures and words that made no sense. “ _ Fine _ ,” you spat, pocketing the weapon inside your own jacket. “Now let me through.”

Maz obliged as she stepped away from your path and you sprinted the rest of the way to your room, the door sliding shut behind you with a loud hiss. You’ve already wasted enough precious seconds in this place. You hastily started packing your belongings, mainly your own two lightsabers and the cloak you’ve brought with you from the  _ Millenium Falcon _ . You pocketed some credits, enough to buy you a pass from the Takodana castle for a speeder bike that would take you to Andui, a major city of Takodana that housed a space port. You knew enough about the planet by now to know it was a popular location and most convenient hyperspace route to get a ship that would take you to Kef Bir. 

You left shortly after, sneaking through the back hallways of the castle to avoid being seen, feeling guilty for not saying goodbyes to your team and Leia. But you had to keep them in the dark, you’ve already raised enough suspicions with your questions about Endor. You promised Vader you’d keep Leia safe and you planned on keeping that promise to him by leaving her here. 

You acquired a speeder and without wasting any time, headed out towards Andui, shooting a final glance behind you at Maz’s castle. You had a day worth of travel to get to the city. 

___

The port was crowded and littered with trash, just as you’d expect the location that housed all the criminals and fugitives arriving on this planet to be. All the better for you to blend in and get yourself a ship without being conspicuous. You threaded through bodies of people, humanoids and alike, keeping your face hidden with the hood draped over your head, while making sure your own lightsabers were hidden from the view. Your face was easily recognizable after the stunt Thrawn pulled by showing you off on HoloNews. Damn the kriffing bastard. 

You sneaked through a door leading to one of the smaller hangars, your eyes seeking out the ships parked there. You smiled when you found what you were looking for. Just as you were about to head in the direction of a smaller cruiser, you were suddenly grabbed from behind, a large gloved hand over your mouth muffling your startled cries as you were dragged towards the shadowy part of the hangar and away from the ships. Your eyes widened, you didn’t even feel their presence. How could anyone sneak up on you so easily? Unless the assailant was another Force-sensitive.

“Now, now,” a male’s voice rasped in your ear and you shuddered, recognizing the voice. “Where do you think you’re going?”

You couldn’t believe your bad luck. You whimpered against the man’s hold, trying to dislodge yourself from him, thrashing in his arms, only for the assailant to increase his hold on you, painfully grabbing you by the neck as he spun you around and pushed you against the wall, his body covering yours and preventing your escape.

You were staring with wide eyes at the shadowy figure towering over you, his sickly yellow eyes rimmed by red staring back at you with a vicious look in them. 

“Hello, [Y/N],” Maul rasped, his breath hot on your face as he grinned, baring his teeth at you. 

Your muffled cries were the only sound back, his gloved hand still covering your mouth. 

“Now, now,” Maul chided, tsking as he watched you. “You don’t want to cause any trouble, now do you? After all, any of these creatures would  _ gladly _ ravage you, now that you’re a wanted criminal across the galaxy.”

You stared at Maul with defiance in your eyes, shooting daggers his way. Maul laughed, licking his lips as he watched you. “Your defiance is admirable but unfortunately for you, quite useless for me. Sleep, dear [Y/N], we shall talk more once you’re awake.”

Your eyes widened more, just then realizing that Maul sneaked his hand that was holding your throat down, plunging a syringe into your upper arm. A kriffing  _ sedative _ . Your vision blurred, your body trying to fight off the drug as you slumped forward, with Maul catching you in his arms.

“You…  _ bastard… _ “ you hissed, too tired to scream, your senses muffled as you succumbed to the darkness. 

___

You were groggy when you finally came to your senses, your head throbbing and your stomach quite literally upset when you felt a new set of nausea creeping up, fighting its way to the top as you tried rolling on your back only for you to realize that you were strapped to something akin to a chair, your hands bound behind your back. You groaned, rolling your head to the side, trying to find a somewhat comfortable position that would alleviate both your pain and nausea.

“I see you are finally awake,” Maul’s voice sounded somewhere close by and you instinctively tensed, snapping your eyes open to find yourself in a small cockpit of a ship with Maul sitting at the forefront of it, piloting the said ship.

“Where the hell am I?” you hissed, tugging on your bonds only to come up fruitless with your attempts. 

Maul finally turned around to give you an amused look. “You’re on a ship,” he said matter-of-factly and you wanted to punch the bastard in the face. 

“Where are you taking me?” you rephrased your question, glaring at the Sith. 

“Ah,” Maul smiled, adjusting in his seat. “I suppose you have the right to know. To Palpatine, of course.”

Your breath hitched, a chill overtaking your body as you stared at Maul. The Sith noticed your look, his smile widening as he bared his teeth.

“Don’t look so surprised,” he continued. “You knew it was bound to happen, your fateful meeting with him.”

“No, I didn’t,” you gritted through your teeth. “Why would  _ you _ do it? After everything Palpatine had done to you, why would you still answer to him and do his biddings?” your voice was on the verge of hysteria.

“ _ Why _ ?” Maul hissed, the look in his eyes turning into something vicious. “Because  _ you _ did not heed to my warnings. Because  _ you _ failed to see the bigger picture. Because  _ you _ decided to play with fate and ignore the warnings the Force had sent you.”

“What the kriffing hell are you talking about?” you screamed, getting fed up with Maul’s riddles. 

“The child you carry,” Maul started, effectively stopping your further breakdown as you gazed at him with wide eyes. “Is my own ticket to freedom from Sidious once and for all.”

“ _ What _ ?” you choked, refusing to believe his words. “You  _ knew _ ?”

“It is what  _ he _ had foreseen,” Maul replied, his eyes boring into you. “Sidious had long orchestrated to have a new apprentice, one he could mold into a perfect tool, one born out of two powerful Force-users, an offspring of the Chosen One - “

“You  _ lie _ !” you screamed, tears gathering in the corners of your eyes. 

“I suppose you can ask him yourself,” Maul shrugged, unfazed by your anger.

“How could you do this?” you continued, refusing to believe him. “You cannot trust Palpatine! He is going to kill you - “

“Will he now?” Maul roared, bawling his hands into fists, the leather of his gloves creaking under strenuous pressure. “I have been his perfect apprentice for so long. I have done everything he asked of me. I am even damning my own agreement with Vader to bring you to Sidious alive and unharmed, in exchange for him to spare my life.”

“Vader is going to kill you,” you hissed.

Maul scoffed. “That is if he doesn’t die himself trying to protect you,” his words made your blood run cold. “He is coming, you know? As we speak, he is heading for the location of Sidious. You shall witness the destruction of Darth Vader, the Chosen One, with your own eyes ones and for all.”

“Don’t do this,” you started pleading with the Sith. “Please, you can still change the outcome of your life. Side with Vader and  _ together _ you can destroy Palpatine - “

“Really?” Maul sneered, a dangerous look gleaming in his eyes. “That is after Vader had locked me up for weeks post my help in your little insurgence, torturing the information out of me? These were his  _ thanks _ for letting you get away unharmed while I was left behind? And you dare to mention that Vader would consider siding with me? He would rather kill me  _ first _ before he lets his own pride be tarnished by working together with his enemy.”

You shook your head, realization dawning on you. “You were the prisoner that escaped,” you breathed, recalling Vader’s call with one of the officers. 

Maul laughed, a maniac sound reverberating through the small compartment of the ship. “Of course I escaped. It’s what I’m best at. While Vader was haunting for Sidious, he had forgotten one key thing about me. That he should have never taken his eyes off of me.”

“How did you find me? How did you know I was going to be at that port?” you demanded, wanting to know the truth. 

“Ah,” Maul grinned. “Qi’ra told me.”

You scoffed. “You are telling me that she knew I would be leaving the castle to head for the port?”

“She didn’t just know,” Maul started. “She followed you. It’s what  _ she _ does best.”

You glared at Maul, shooting more daggers at him. “Don’t look so offended,” he shrugged, wearing a smug look on his face. “She is  _ my _ General and she takes orders from  _ me _ , not  _ you _ . She was never loyal to your cause, or your Rebel friends. She had no obligations whatsoever to protect you. She did her job, just as I instructed her to when I gave her an order to spy on you. I had to be certain of your pregnancy first before making my move.”

“You double-faced  _ bastard _ ,” you hissed, spitting at Maul as you writhed in the chair, trying to break free from your bonds. 

He laughed back, shrugging his shoulders as he leaned himself back into the chair. “Save your strength, dear one. You wouldn’t want to cause any harm to your child.”

“ _ Kriff off _ ,” you screamed back, itching to kill the bastard in front of you.

Maul instantly raised himself to his full height and in quick strides was in front of your chair, holding another syringe in his hands, full of more sedative.

“If you wish to be difficult, I can simply sedate you until we arrive at our destination. The choice is all yours.”

You glared at the syringe and then back at Maul, baring your teeth at him when you finally slumped in the chair, opting to stay awake for the duration of the trip. 

“Wise choice,” Maul nodded his head, checking on your bonds as he tugged more harshly on them, making you gasp as sudden pain shot up your arms. 

He settled back in the pilot’s seat just in time for the console at the front to beep, signaling the ship was about to exit out of hyperspace. You tensed, holding in your breath while watching the viewport, expecting to see a planet in front of the view only for the ship to lurch out in front of a cloud of red gas and stardust obstructing your pathway, as Maul headed straight for it. You watched as the navigational screen started acting up the closer he maneuvered the ship towards the cloud, the surroundings posing as a navigational barrier to whomever wanted to get through this space. 

“What are you doing?” you blurted out, panic settling in the pit of your stomach. 

Maul did not reply, all his focus on the view in front of him as he navigated the ship through the red haze and debri floating around you, with him having to resolve to doing some jerky moves and if it wasn’t for the restraints holding you in place, you would have long been tossed on the floor of the shp from the way he was flying. And you thought Vader was a maniacal pilot. 

Your gaze flickered to something past Maul, a pyramidal structure sitting on top of the console next to the ship’s hyperspace astrogational system, connected directly into the starship’s hyperspace jump coordinates. You then realized that Maul was maneuvering the ship in exact pattern as the object portrayed, acting as some sort of hyperspatial lodestone, sending signals to the screen to be interpreted as the safe passageway through the storm. 

“What is that?” you asked, your curiosity getting the better of you. Part of you also needed to know your way out if you were to succeed in escaping from Maul’s clutches. 

“A wayfinder,” Maul replied and your eyes widened. So  _ that _ was what Vader was looking for. But why did Maul have it instead?

“Why is it in  _ your _ possession?” you hissed.

“Aren’t you a prying little thing,” Maul rasped and you glared at his back. “Do not fret, Vader can find his own one amidst the wreckage of the Death Star.”

“There are  _ two _ ?” you asked, your own shock evident in the voice.

“Of course there are two,” Maul replied, annoyance leaking into his voice. “The Rule of Two is the philosophy that governs us, the Lords of the Sith. Each wayfinder is entrusted to each Sith Lord, a Sith master and a Sith apprentice.”

“Oh?” you mockingly asked. “I thought you said Palpatine wasn’t your master?”

Maul tensed, his shoulder blades locking as he gripped the controls of the ship, finally exiting through the maelstrom in front of a rather dark planet, one you’ve never seen before. You were now in the uncharted regions of the Unknown Regions based on the navigational charts in front of a console. 

“I never said the wayfinder was mine,” he sneered, finally turning his head to glare at you. “I borrowed this from Vader himself. It was rather easy finding it amidst his castle on Mustafar while he was imprisoned. My thanks to your Rebellion for ensuring my easy access to his fortress that allowed me to maintain my contact with Palpatine.”

You shook your head, feelings of betrayal overwhelming you. You shouldn’t have expected anything different from the deranged Sith Lord in front of you. His goals were always apart from yours, always having ulterior motives with each decision he made on your behalf. You felt foolish for trusting him. Vader was right after all. 

You watched as the planet grew closer, the thick presence of the Dark Side coiling around you, making you almost choke on its tendrils weaving through. The presence was much worse than that on Mustafar or Vjun. This truly was the epicenter of evil, a true pinnacle of the Dark Side. You knew without doubt that Palpatine was down below, patiently expecting your arrival. You could have almost imagined a ghost of a touch against your shields, the barriers that held your thoughts and memories to yourself, testing their strength and then a slick dirty presence sliding through your body, itching closer to your stomach, seeking the presence of your child in your womb and you shuddered, softly wailing as you realized you could do nothing to stop Palpatine from seeking out what he wanted.

A static discharge around the ship had startled you and you watched in horrific mesmerization as multiple lightning strikes littered the planet’s surface, illuminating the barren rocky planet down below once Maul successfully landed the ship in front what appeared to be a large dark structure, hidden in the shadows of the night and dust settling over this place. Your nightmares were slowly coming into reality if what you saw in your visions was true. This was the place the final battle would take place, the outcome of which you were thoroughly terrified of. 

Maul unstrapped himself from the seat and before you had the chance to realize what he was doing, he was disconnecting the wayfinder from the navigational system, holding the object in his hands as he came closer to you.

“What - “ you started and then let out a startled shriek when Maul crumpled the device in his hands, destroying the only way out from this planet and the Unknown Regions of the galaxy. 

“Don’t think I don’t know what you were hoping for to do with  _ this _ ,” Maul hissed, throwing the damaged wayfinder on the floor of the ship in front of your feet. “There is no escape from this hell.”

He unfastened the bonds around the seat, yanking you on your feet as he tightened his hold on your arms behind your back, pushing you out to the exit of the ship. Your lightsabers were long stripped from you when you first regained your consciousness, now hanging on the side of Maul’s belt. The only consolation to your obvious bleak situation was the unmistakable weight of the Skywalker’s lightsaber still hidden inside the pocket of your jacket. 

He tugged you through the desert land, closer to the structure looming in front of you, your eyes trying to adjust to the darkness surrounding the place. There were no other ships around you and no presence of anyone other than Maul and Palpatine. Vader was not here. You had a glimmering hope that perhaps Vader was unsuccessful in acquiring the other wayfinder, that he wouldn’t come and risk his life. You were so wrong when you suddenly felt an unmistakable rage and anger pulsating around you, appearing out of nowhere as though the owner of such emotions uncloaked himself to let his enemy sense him. You gasped, sudden dread washing over you. Vader had just exited the hyperspace.

“Shall we welcome him then?” Maul hissed, tugging on your own ring still cloaking your own presence, your breath hitching in your throat when you finally felt your bond with Vader flare up, feeling his sudden shock and dread mirroring yours, just as Maul pushed you through the entrance to the ancient Sith Citadel. 

“Welcome to Exegol.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sure you all already realized who the prisoner that escaped Vader's clutches was in the last chapter. You guesses it right, it was Maul! 
> 
> Also, if you get a chance, read up on the wayfinders, its actually pretty interesting. Only two of them ever existed, one belonging to the Master and the other one to the Apprentice. In the films we know that Kylo Ren took one from Mustafar but in this story I had to improvise since Mustafar was destroyed by Thrawn. So it was logical for me to assume that Vader would know where the other one was still hidden and went to the ruins of the DS2 to retrieve it. Palpatine wanted him to find it so he left it in the Throne Room. 
> 
> I was planning on writing a separate short story about Qi'ra and Maul but then changed my mind (I was truly bored with it and had no motivation to continue it.) But I think you get the gist of it. Ever since Qi'ra picked up the reader she was tasked on spying on her by Maul's orders. Which is why he wasn't as concerned about reader escaping without him. He was waiting on Qi'ra to relay to him of the news of the reader's pregnancy. So Qi'ra suddenly leaving and apologizing to the reader has everything to do with her spying. I kinda feel bad for her though :/
> 
> I'm so excited to share with you the upcoming chapters! Hope you enjoyed this one and stay tuned ~


	54. The truth.*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize in advance for some dark scenes in this chapter. No smut, but there's a recap of some things that happened earlier in the story.

Darkness. Lightning. Darkness. Lightning. 

You could barely see anything in front of you. The only illumination in this place were streaks of discharges of static electricity that were sporadic and scattered across the place. You could make out giant statues standing on each side of the pathway which you were currently on, dragged in tow by Maul who was purposely walking straight ahead. You had long figured out that you were in one of the ancient Sith Temples by the feel of the Dark Side of the Force present all over this place. 

At some point you had advanced further down inside the Temple, further underground and closer to the immense power radiating from the center of its core. Closer to Palpatine. You could still feel the probings of his power trying to break through your mental shields, his ghost touches feeling around your midsection, trying to gauge the power of the child growing inside of you. You felt sick. You wanted to protect your unborn child. You felt powerless. And you could no longer feel Vader’s presence. The stench and thickness of the Dark Side was so strong that it masked Vader’s own enraged hate that you felt when he first broke through the hyperspace. 

Maul tugged harsher on your arms and you stifled your whimper, glaring at the Zabrak male as he tugged you closer to what appeared to be a wide opening at the end of the pathway. You could almost make out something tall and imposing standing in the middle of it but you couldn’t quite make out the structure until you were standing right in front of it. Your eyes widened. It was a Sith Throne, made out of some sort of dark stone with spires sticking out of it in all directions and symbols of the Sith coating the seat. This was undeniably the Throne Room of the Sith and you were standing right in the middle of it.

None of it made sense. Why would someone like you, someone who was weaker in the Force than Vader, someone who renounced the Dark Side shortly after you left your post as the Inquisitor would be wanted by the most powerful Sith Lord in history? Why were you tied to Vader in such inexplicable ways, sharing a bond with him not found even in his Sith holocrons? Why  _ you _ ?

“You have done well, my apprentice.”

That voice. You could recognize it anywhere. It sounded so much more sinister in person than through the hologram. The voice that belonged to none other than Palpatine, or Sidious, Dark Lord of the Sith. 

“Master,” Maul dropped on his knee, bowing his head while you tried to back away from the Zabrak male. “I have delivered what you asked of me.”

“Good,  _ good _ ,” Palpatine’s voice cracked and only then did you see his towering structure superimposed over the throne, hanging over some sort of machine that was supporting his weight. Something did not look right. 

“Vader is here,” Maul announced, still keeping his head bowed, neither of the two Sith sparing you much of a glance. You tried to back further away only to realize you were surrounded from all sides by what appeared to be some sort of guards, cloaked in dark robes but wielding red lightsabers that were instantly ignited, halting you in your steps.

“I am well aware of that,” Palpatine rasped, gesturing with his hands towards the guards. “You are to stall Vader but do not kill him. I still have some use of him.”

The guards vanished just as a gnawing terror set in the pit of your stomach. Your hands twitched, inconspicuously reaching for the inside of your jacket, seeking the weight of Skywalker’s lightsaber still safely tucked away from the Sith’s sights. 

“I did everything you asked of me,” Maul continued, his voice taking a hint of desperation that neither you nor Palpatine missed. “You gave me your word that I would be released from this imprisonment if I were to bring the girl to you.”

“That I did,” Palpatine admitted and your insides clenched from anger. Maul was Palpatine’s puppet all along, spewing lies about his non-existent bond with his former master, making you believe that Maul was on your side of things against Palpatine. 

“Liar,” you screamed, finally drawing the attention of the towering Sith Lord as the machine brought him closer to you. You couldn’t hide the spike of terror even if you tried. 

“My apprentice simply understands the situation far better than you,” Palpatine rasped, finally stopping in front of you. The gloomy light of the place finally illuminated his features under the hood of his robe, sickly and old, boring lifelessly at you, his yellow eyes glowing in the dark as he stared at you. “And had chosen to live instead.”

“Vader  _ will _ kill you,” you hissed, baring your teeth at the Sith Lord. 

“Will he now?” Palpatine mocked, thinning his lips into a wicked smile, showing his decaying teeth to you. “You have seen the outcome of this battle in your visions.”

You balked, staggering away from the Sith Lord. “How - how do you know of such things?” you stammered, looking at Palpatine with a shocked expression on your face.

Palpatine laughed, his raspy voice carrying across the wide span of the arena, chilling you to the bone. “My dear, who do you think fed you all these visions in the first place?”

“ _ What _ ?” you croaked, your mind having a hard time understanding his words.

“Who has shown you  _ everything _ up to this point?” Palpatine continued, advancing on you as you were rooted to your spot by your own fear. “Who had given you a false hope that you could  _ ever _ have  _ anything _ with my foolish apprentice, Vader?”

“You… you are lying,” you cried, refusing to believe the Sith’s words. 

“You had fallen right into my trap,” Palpatine laughed, his breath ghosting over your skin. “And had given me  _ all _ that I’ve ever  _ desired _ ,” his pale hands raised in front of him, reaching for you as you watched in horror, realizing all too late that he tried to place them on your stomach, feeling the signature of your own child.

“ _ No _ !” you screamed and in your blatant fury and blinding rage mixed with choking fear, you reached for the hidden lightsaber, igniting the blue blade as you tried to slash at the Sith Lord, only to be stopped mid action by the invisible bonds, much stronger than Vader’s as the weapon was torn out of your hands accompanied by your anguished cry and flown into Palpatine’s hands while he gripped you in his Force hold.

“How  _ ironic _ ,” Palpatine rasped, twirling the lightsaber in his hands. “For you to bring the Jedi’s weapon, only to remind Vader of what he never was and could never be. The weapon that sealed his own fate and made him who he is  _ now _ .”

You cried, baring your teeth at the Sith Lord, struggling in his grasp. He was too powerful for you to escape from his hold.

“Master!” Maul exclaimed just as you felt the undeniable surge of power and raw hate radiating off from the dark hallway where you had come from, only for one of the guards tasked in stalling Vader to be tossed aside like a puppet, with a smoking gash coming off the guard’s robes and a red blade illuminating the dark figure stepping into the wide arena, the amber eyes glowing and seeping with rage on the uncovered face of your lover. Darth Vader was finally here. 

“Stay,” Palpatine barked his order before Maul could spring into action, slowly turning around to face Vader. You could now clearly see multiple tubes and wires sticking from the man’s backside, some draining fluids while others were supplementing the Sith Lord with essential liquids meant to keep him alive, all attached to the machine that suspended him in the air, aiding in his movements. It appeared that Palpatine was gravely injured, most likely from whatever attack Vader bestowed on him in his blinding rage after Palpatine killed Luke Skywalker.

“You have made it here much sooner than I expected,” Palpatine rasped, slowly easing himself towards Vader. 

_ Are you alright?  _ Vader’s voice echoed inside your head and you would have cried from the relief to finally be able to feel him in the Force, to feel your connection with him through your bond if it weren’t for the dire situation you were all in.

_ I’m fine _ , you choked back, latching on to his presence.  _ But you need to leave,  _ please _. Palpatine tricked us all, he showed me that vision. He is going to kill you -  _

“Did you ever wonder about your connection with each other?” Palpatine’s voice cut through your link and you gasped. “Why the Force was so adamant about you two? Why you felt the spark when you first laid eyes on each other?”

“Release her,” Vader snapped, focusing his gaze on Palpatine, his Sith eyes glowing in the dark, barely sparing any glance towards Maul who had raised himself from his kneeling position, watching the scene evolve around him with cautious eyes. 

“So impatient,” Palpatine chided, rasping the words. “Years serving me have not taught you much, I see. You’re still that eager  _ boy _ , still letting your emotions control your actions. Just as you let them cloud your own judgment.”

Vader growled, tightening his grip on his ignited lightsaber. “ _ Release her _ ,” he hissed, promise of repercussions flashing in his eyes. 

“Can you feel it?” Palpatine rasped, thinning his lips into a gruesome smile. “The pulse of the Light Side? The beckoning pull of the innocent life waiting to be  _ corrupted _ ?”

Vader paused, his expression faltering as he frowned. His gaze flickered to you, then back to Palpatine. “She won’t be tempted by the likes of you,” Vader hissed only to be met with a cackling laugh from Palpatine.

“Years in prison had made you weak and obtuse, my old  _ friend _ ,” Palpatine wheezed. “ _ She _ is of no importance to me. But what she carries  _ inside _ of her is of far more importance to me than  _ you _ ever were.”

Vader’s eyes widened in shock, finally realizing the meaning behind Palpatine’s words. His eyes gravitated towards you, just as you let out a quiet sob.

“Is this true?” he breathed, his gaze falling to your stomach just as you felt his probing in your mind, seeking out the truth for himself. You couldn’t fight him, lowering your shields as you let him access the inner vaults of your mind, letting him connect with the undeniable Force signature of the child growing in your womb. 

“ _ I'm sorry _ ,” you cried, seeing as Vader staggered back, the revelation of your pregnancy shocking him speechless. 

“This child is the future of all Sith,” Palpatine’s voice boomed. “It shall become much stronger and powerful than its own parents, carrying on the legacy of Darth Vader.”

Vader startled, his head whipping towards Palpatine, his eyes focusing once more on the other Sith Lord. “ _ Impossible _ ,” he breathed, his voice sending anguished pulses against your heart.

“Is it now?” Palpatine croaked, staring at Vader with a gleeful expression on his face. “You had yet to learn of the infinite power of the Dark Side. The unimaginable possibilities of creating life, of manipulating the Force itself.”

“What are you talking about?” Vader swallowed, his gaze once more becoming hard. 

“Who do you think morphed these  _ dreams _ you shared inside your heads?” Palpatine rasped and you whimpered, silently shedding tears at the man’s words. “Who do you think made you  _ feel _ things for one another, creating the illusion of  _ love _ ,” he spat the last word with venom. 

“Who do you think placed her in your path?” Palpatine continued, advancing on Vader. “Did you honestly believe someone would actually  _ love _ the monster that you are?”

“Don’t listen to him,” you cried, begging for Vader to hear you. “My feelings are truly genuine.  _ I love you _ .”

“Do you now?” Palpatine stopped and you felt a sudden pressure inside your head. “I see you created strong shields around her mind to prevent me from ever breaching her barriers,” Palpatine addressed Vader as the pressure increased and you cried out.

“Stop it,” Vader’s voice was anguished, stricken with a sudden panic.

“You haven’t told her,” Palpatine surmised, baring his teeth as he smiled. “In fact, you seemed to erase  _ that _ memory from her mind.”

You listened to the Sith’s words, not understanding the meaning behind them. The pressure only grew and it felt like your head would split any second, eliciting raw cries from you. 

“It’s time for her to see what you’ve been trying to hide from her all along,” Palpatine rasped and then the pain erupted behind your eyes and you saw a scene replaying in front of you, one you had partial memory of when you were still on Vjun with Vader, in your own quarters taking a shower after yet another fight with Vader. 

You breathed with heavy pants, recollecting the scene when Vader had entered the shower with you and forcefully took you against the wall, pounding inside of you with viciousness you both desired. You remembered  _ that _ part well, remembered how he felt inside of you, how much pleasure the action wrecked over your body, how much you begged him to take you hard and fast. You didn’t remember much after that, waking up in your bed the next morning only to find Vader next to you, which resulted in another passionate sexual intercourse with him. You couldn’t even pinpoint  _ why _ you felt such desperation to have him bed you once more. 

_ He lied to you _ , Palpatine’s voice sneaked inside your head, chilling you to the core. You struggled against his presence inside your mind but he did not relent.  _ See for yourself. _

The scene changed, and you were once more inside the fresher, standing under the cascading waterfall of hot water, pressed against the shower wall with Vader pinning you with his body, still connected inside of you.

_ “So  _ easy _ ,” you heard Vader’s voice and you opened your eyes to see him grinning as he continued to ram his hips against your own.  _

_ “Such an easy prey,” he continued, almost cackling as your confused mind tried to take in his words. “To think he’d fall for someone like you who can’t even tell the difference between me and real him.” _

_ You frowned, your confusion overridden by another moan as your core clenched around his cock.  _

_ “Stupid, foolish girl,” he sneered and your body tensed from a cold dread pooling at the depths of your stomach, finally registering that something was very  _ wrong _.  _

_ “This will teach him a lesson,” he continued, hilting his hips all the way in and your world exploded as you yelled from a forceful orgasm washing over your body, your muscles clenching around the cock still deeply embedded inside of you.  _

_ “Wh-what?” you asked, your mind hazy from the mind-blowing orgasm, unable to discern the words and their meaning.  _

_ “Beg for me, like you would beg for his cock rutting your insides,” the voice sneered and then you felt him pulse inside of you as his seed spilled in your womb, coating the insides and you screamed as pain erupted all around you. _

_ You were mildly aware that you were somehow subjected to a case of excruciating Force-lightning, your body on fire as you tried and failed to separate your body from his. He was still hilted inside of you as you clawed at his face and chest, trying to get away. You continued to scream, pain overriding every other emotion, your body prickling with nerves and unbearable agony. You heard a maniac laughter and through your haze you turned your head to see Palpatine standing where just moment ago Vader stood and you screamed even harder, not from pain but from utter desolation and hopelessness at realizing just  _ who _ was fucking you moments ago.  _

And just as suddenly, the pain was over, the scene was like a distant memory to you as you were brought back to the present with Vader watching you with anguished look on his face, guilt clearly discernible in his eyes. You let out a sob just as Palpatine released you from his Force hold and you collapsed on the hard ground, your body convulsing in shock. Your mind still refused to believe that what you saw was true, that your memory was tampered with and erased by none other than Vader, the man you trusted and loved. 

“ _ I’m sorry, _ ” now it was Vader pleading with you, his voice broken and anguished, thick with his own tears. “I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t want to see you like this,  _ broken _ ,  _ hurt _ ,  _ damaged _ . I wanted to take your pain away. I  _ swear _ I didn’t plan on any of it turning out the way it did.”

You raised your head, tears obscuring your view as you gazed at Vader. “You  _ erased _ my memory,” you whispered, feeling hurt and betrayed, all the things Vader wanted to keep away from you. 

“He did more than that,” Palpatine sneered. “In his blinding rage and his vicious nature to protect you from harm, he cast a spell on you.”

“I did it to keep her away from  _ you _ ,” Vader roared, the Force rejoicing at the sudden spike of the Dark Side oozing from Vader in waves, almost suffocating you with its dark tendrils.

“He  _ bound _ you to him,” Palpatine continued, oblivious to Vader’s explosion of anger. “He  _ sealed _ your mind to his. He used an ancient Sith spell to offer you his protection. One that has its own repercussions if used unwisely and in the manner with which he did so.”

You watched the Sith Lord in front of you, his words not making much sense. None of this made sense. 

“For as long as the caster of the spell is  _ alive _ , you will  _ always _ belong to him,” Palpatine rasped, rejoicing at your audible gasp and Vader’s growl. “You could never fight the pull of the spell. You would always desire him, always want his presence by your side. It’s what made it that much easier for me to orchestrate your pregnancy with his seed. You would never deny his touch, only crave it more until he gave it to you. The testament to my words are your own actions shortly after our first meeting when you shamelessly begged Vader to take you.”

Your cheeks flamed from heat rising up and coloring your face, your mind blank as you stared at Palpatine. “It was only a matter of time until he impregnated you,” Palpatine cackled. “I ensured that process long before either you or Vader realized what had happened. Long before he asked you to take measures of your birth control. I was the one that tempered with your medicine. You were  _ never _ safe to begin with. You would always end up carrying his child, in any circumstances and visions I orchestrated for you. I had foreseen the moment you’d birth me the perfect apprentice.”

You let out a gut-wretched wail, choking on your tears as you realized the implication behind Palpatine’s words. Your feelings for Vader were never your own. Whatever you felt for him was always the result of the spell he cast on you. It was the Dark Side of the Force feeding you false desires, making you crave Vader’s touch. Which meant that your love for him was also falsed, your admittance of your true feelings to him on the fateful day when he conceived you with a child was all Palpatine’s doing. You played right into the Sith’s hand.

“That spell does not affect the caster,” Vader’s voice cut through your thoughts, his words directed both at you and Palpatine, but mostly you when he directed his gaze at you. “I never lied to you when I told you I was falling in love with you. Whatever  _ this _ is, it was never affected by the spell. We’ve had our connection long before Palpatine intervened - “

“Foolish boy,” Palpatine rasped, interrupting Vader’s words. “Have you not yet realized it was I who had connected you two to one another?”

Vader jerked his head and so did you, staring at the Sith Lord with unseeing eyes. What else could Palpatine say that would make it worse than the ultimate humiliation of sharing a wicked Force vision with him while he fucked you, and then admitting that he was the one behind your pregnancy. None of it could compare to how you felt at the moment.  _ Used _ .  _ Betrayed _ .  _ Humiliated _ .  _ Hurt _ .  _ Despaired _ . You could go on and on listing your own feelings on the matter, none of them would make you feel any better from admitting how much you despised Palpatine and how much you hated Vader for what he’d done.

“I bridged your minds, made you believe it was the will of the Force that connected you in your Force Bond,” Palpatine announced, shocking you and Vader as he stumbled once more in his step. “You never had any choice on the matter. Whatever you both saw was the product of my own doing.”

Vader growled, snapping from his earlier stupor as he shifted his stance, raising his lightsaber in the attack position. “Then all I have to do is kill you.”

Palpatine laughed. “I have everything I need to become stronger and much more powerful than you could ever imagine. You failed to kill me once, and you shall fail  _ again _ .”

“Not if the Force wills it,” Vader growled, his Sith eyes flashing in anger.

“Ah, The Force, the living structure of all beings,” Palpatine chuckled, raising his hand in Vader’s direction. You tensed, watching with stilled breath, your eyes wide open. “Your role as the Chosen One had long been surpassed, Lord Vader. The Force no longer answers to you. Strike me now and you shall witness the destruction of the worlds. I will demolish everything that was ever yours, starting with your precious daughter.” 

You felt the vibrations under your feet and the a screech of something heavy and old bulging under Palpatine’s flick of a wrist and the next moment the ceiling of the Temple opened up, revealing the magnitude of Palpatine’s strength in the form of hundreds of Super Star Destroyers lines up in formation, prepared for the Sith’s order.

“With my command, I shall dispatch my Sith Fleet upon the galaxy, destroying every insurgence, every planet that had ever defied my rule. The mighty power of the Sith does not compare to the power of the Imperial Fleet. You could never stop me,” Palpatine crooned, mocking Vader with his power. 

“This would have been  _ yours _ had you not turned against me,” Palpatine continued, his voice turning cold. “Had you not striked me down, I would have given you the might of the Empire, bestowed you the title of the Emperor. But you  _ failed _ me.”

“I would have never accepted your offer,” Vader spat, the Dark Side becoming thicker with its presence around him. Vader was preparing for a strike.

“Because of that foolish Jedi boy?” Palpatine spat, all pretense of hospitality gone, the air growing cold. “I shall kill you just as I killed him, ridding the galaxy of the last Skywalker once and for all.”

Vader let out a roar, flinging himself at Palpatine just as the Sith raised his other hand, hurling Vader back as though he was a weightless toy, slamming Vader on the ground. You screamed, despite your earlier anguish at the reveal of your connection to Vader, you still felt the desire to protect him, still felt his pain and every emotion as it passed through your bond with him. You didn’t even see Maul creeping up to you until it was too late, him grabbing you from behind before you could make your way towards Vader as you screamed and struggled in the Zabrak’s hold. 

“Let this be a lesson to you,” Palpatine roared, snapping his fingers as you saw the Sith Fleet above you start moving, dozens of sirens echoing in the distance, all of them preparing for the hyperspace jump. “If you are not  _ with _ me, then you are  _ against _ me.”

Vader raised himself from the ground, wiping the trail of blood from his brow, snarling at Palpatine as he picked up his dropped lightsaber by his feet with the Force.

“You are forgetting that I have my own army,” Vader snarled and before you could make sense of his words you heard the unmistakable sounds of heavy objects exiting the hyperspace and when you glanced up you could make out hundreds of Imperial Star Destroyers advancing on the Sith Fleet with the  _ Executor _ leading them all. Vader managed to bring the full power of the entire Imperial Naval Fleet under his control in the span of one month, leading them all to this place as though expecting the final battle to take place here above the homeworld of the Sith.

“And it shall be destroyed,” Palpatine rasped, giving his silent order for a full blown attack.

“We shall see,” Vader hissed, igniting his red blade as he once more flung himself at Palpatine, only this time to be met with the surge of lightning coming off Palpatine’s hand as he focused all of his power on Vader only to be stopped by Vader’s red blade. You cried out again, helplessly watching as Vader struggled to contain all of Palpatine’s power. Vision of Vader being tormented by the same surge of lightning had resurfaced in your mind and you struggled in Maul’s hold, twisting around his grip, trying to get loose.

“Stay still,” Maul hissed, tightening his rip on you as he forced you to watch. “This is inevitable. Vader’s death was foreseen.”

“ _ No _ ,” you cried, feeling the familiar surge of power in the depths of your connection to the Force, growing stronger and more insistent with each passing second. You knew how to tap into it, knew what it meant if you were to unleash it upon Palpatine. So you closed your eyes, listening to the cries of the Force, feeling the spark plug this power was radiating from and were left surprised when you realized your power was connected with Vader. The stronger he grew, the stronger you felt yourself growing in the Force. Your Force Bond with him worked both ways, something you never realized until now.

_ Please _ , you begged and the Force answered.

Because in your hands you held Skywalker’s lightsaber, somehow transported from Palpatine’s own hands to yours. You didn’t hesitate, igniting the blade behind your back, plunging the weapon into Maul with a snarl, startling the Zabrak male as he let you go with an anguished gasp, his eyes wide as he stared at you when you turned around to deliver a killing blow. You swiped the blade across his neck, decapitating the man in one swift movement, ending the life of the Sith as you stared at his headless body with a triumphant smile on your face.

Palpatine was going to be next. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~ silence ~
> 
> I know what you probably all think. This was some f****d up sh*t. And I'm sorry. 
> 
> There are a few things that I changed from the TROS. Starting with the fact that besides some of the guards (like the Imperial Guards), there was no one else present in the Sith Citadel, none of those hundreds if not thousands of Sith followers that somehow magically appeared in the movie? None of it made sense, considering this is a barren planet and there's practically nothing to sustain such a vast number of people in one place. 
> 
> Palpatine is injured. If you don't remember, Vader briefly touches up on it in his POV when he recalls Luke's death. Supposedly he stabbed Palpatine in the chest with his own lightsaber. I'm not going to touch up more on that subject but the injury made Palpatine rely on the machinery like in the movie.
> 
> Palpatine is still strong. Even despite the injury, he is much stronger than Vader. If you were not convinced with how easy he was able to fling Vader back and use Force against him, then please reconsider because why else would Vader be terrified to fight against his master? Palpatine is some sick bastard and he has all the power in the galaxy. 
> 
> Force Bond. There are hundreds of articles on it. It will be touched up more on in the next chapter. The ability to transport object through space is one of them. I modified it in this story and let the reader use it to defend herself against Maul. I'm sorry if you were not happy with Maul's death. To me, this was justified and quite frankly the only way to kill off the man. He deserved it (in my opinion). 
> 
> And lastly, the final battle between the Sith Fleet and the Imperial Navy. Something I thought would make more sense than the Rebel's broken fleet. There's no navigational hub or whatever it was that needed to be destroyed in the movies to prevent the fleet from moving out. In this story, they act independently. Palpatine had been building this fleet for decades behind Vader's back. I think it makes sense, after all he can foresee the future. I think he might have anticipated his defeat on DS2 and used other measures to ensure he still had control over the galaxy even in the shadows.
> 
> Whew, I think that's all. Thanks for coming to my TED talk. I hope you enjoyed it!


	55. The Chosen One.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here it is... the end of the final battle. Turn on your epic Star Wars tunes, grab some tissues and dive in to this emotional roller coaster and I'll see you all at the end...

The battle outside raged on, ships exploding in the air, sounds of TIE fighters screeching up above, laser cannons and torpedoes hitting their targets. None of it compared to the hell that was happening inside the Temple, with Vader still pushing against the might of Palpatine. You could not understand how Palpatine could be so powerful even when gravely injured. What would have happened had the man acquired unlimited power and strength of his former self? You wished you never asked yourself that question. Because it was all your fault when he finally did.

“Vader!” you screamed, drawing his attention to you and for a split second that he turned his gaze away, Palpatine had barged through Vader’s defenses, flinging him away once more with enough force to break some of Vader’s bones. You head a muffled grunt, pain erupting at your own side, your bond with Vader projecting his own pain at you. You’ve forgotten all about the weird side-effect of sharing your connection with Vader.

“You can never defeat me,” Palpatine rasped, advancing on Vader just as you stepped into his path, blocking the Sith Lord with the Skywalker’s weapon, blue blade pointed his way.

“ _ Oh _ ?” Palpatine stopped, eyeing you with a sort of morbid fascination, his lips thinning into a disgruntled smile. “You still want to protect him after everything he’s done to you?”

You gritted your teeth, tightening your hold on the hilt of the saber. You shot Palpatine a defying look, glaring at the Sith Lord as you raised the blade.

“I see,” Palpatine rasped, his lips turning into grimace. “Your bond with him prevents you from rational thinking. Then I shall  _ destroy _ that bond.”

You prepared for the onslaught of the attack only to be roughly grabbed from the side, Vader’s hand grabbing your wrist as he forcefully pushed you behind him, your eyes meeting his for a split second before Vader stood in front of you just in time for Palpatine to unleash a new set of attacks. You were still connected with Vader when the surge of power touched him and then a spark ricocheted back to Palpatine, momentarily stunning him as he gasped, gazing at his hands just as you and Vader both experienced a shock and pull of the Force, slamming you both against the ground, both of your weapons tossed aside from the impact.

You were temporarily stunned, gasping for breath as you tried to regain your bearings, your mind hazy and your vision swimming. What the hell had just happened? You felt shift somewhere next to you and then Vader’s bloodied face was in your vision, his eyes searching yours until you were able to focus on him.

“Are you alright?” he rasped, his concern washing over your senses with an undeniable spike of terror that he tried to hide. Besides the fact that your body felt sore from the impact and another odd feeling settling over you that you couldn’t quite place, you thought you couldn’t be any better considering the fact that Palpatine almost tried to kill you. 

“The life force of your bond,” you heard Palpatine’s voice, drawing yours and Vader’s attention from one another to the Sith Lord looming above you to see him staring at you two with an almost shocked expression on his face. “A Dyad in the Force.”

Your eyes widened when you watched Palpatine bring his deformed hands up to his face to see them begin to heal on their own, the Dark Side rejoicing when you felt the change in the Force. You gasped, refusing to believe what you just saw. Vader swore, trying to pull you up to your feet, only succeeding to raise you to your knees before you were both caught in the Force hold, your body paralyzed and suspended in the air. Regardless of how much you struggled against the hold, it was futile to try and escape.

“Only to think it had taken me all of my life to understand a Force Dyad,” Palpatine started, his eyes boring into you, the amber in them burning with viciousness. “To think the nature of the Dyad requires light as well as dark.”

You whimpered, a terror of your own starting to settle in the pit of your stomach. You heard Vader’s growl, his attempt to break free, trying to reach for his own lightsaber but not before Palpatine snatched it in his own grasp with the Force, twirling the weapon in his hands before sending a wicked grin to Vader as he removed the kyber crystal from its center, rendering the weapon useless as he disassembled the lightsaber with one sweep of his hand, dropping the pieces on the ground.

“This is why the Dyad never worked between us,” Palpatine continued, addressing Vader as he moved himself even closer to your kneeling forms. “It was missing a key piece.”

Palpatine swept his gaze to you, his amber eyes boring into you as he bared his teeth. “I shall thank you for growing the sacred bond with Vader that even  _ my _ own master could never achieve to form.”

You tensed, the air feeling thick with tension. Something was going to give at any moment.

“I no longer need your child to achieve my goals,” Palpatine rasped, raising his hands as he prepared for a strike. “The power of two shall restore the one  _ true _ Emperor.”

You screamed as agonizing pain hit you square in the chest, the pull of the Force becoming too strong for you to fight against as Palpatine sucked the life force out of you and Vader in tandem with his maniacal laughter. You never realized that pain could be so blinding that you couldn’t even shed tears, your whole nervous system set on blaze as though you were burning. The time stopped, your mind blanching as your body was subjected to torturous sensations over and over again until you couldn’t take it any longer. You didn’t even remember it ending, the Force hold on you releasing as you unceremoniously toppled on the hard ground, your body feeling too weak and too heavy to try and move.

“Still have some fight left in you, I see,” Palpatine sneered and you rolled your head to see Vader still kneeling, using whatever strength he had left to try and raise himself from the ground. Palpatine had long detached himself from the machine that was keeping him alive, his body fully restored and healed from the deadly wound, now standing in all his might in front of Vader, immense power radiating off the Sith Lord as he glared down at the kneeling man.

“You’re just as stubborn as your Jedi son,” Palpatine spat, malice written on the Sith’s face. “Perhaps you should die the same way I killed him.”

You whimpered, tears welling in your eyes. This wasn’t happening. The vision you saw, it was coming true. And you could do nothing to stop it.

“You may… try…” Vader wheezed, using the Force to call his old lightsaber to him that was still intact, igniting the blue blade as he finally raised himself to standing position. It took all of his strength just to do that. 

“Foolish  _ boy _ ,” Palpatine rasped, sneering as he lifted his hands. “You have long outlived your usefulness to me.  _ Die _ , and fulfill your prophecy as the Chosen One that  _ failed _ to bring the balance to the Force.”

The strength with which Palpatine sent a surge of Sith lightning at Vader had startled him, pushing Vader closer to your lying form as he struggled to contain all of Palpatine’s power. You knew by sharing your bond with Vader that this was the only thing Vader was still capable of doing in his state, with Palpatine robbing most of the life force from him, somehow sparing you in the process. He wouldn’t last long, not with the way Palpatine seemed to increase the strength of his attack. 

_ I’m sorry. _

The fleeting thought was almost indiscernible but you heard it, coming from Vader in his last attempt to amend for his mistakes.

_ Please _ , you begged, reaching your hand towards him, your vision blurred by your tears. 

Vader groaned, the lightning surge finally striking him as the blade of his lightsaber could no longer contain the magnitude of the attack. His body convulsed and he dropped the weapon, and in the next instant he was set fully ablaze by Palpatine’s attack, strikes of lightning enveloping his body, tormenting him in his final moments as Vader screamed, agonizing sounds reverberating through the air. 

You screamed as well, pain of his own torment passing through your bond with him, feeling everything he was feeling at the moment, the unbearable pain, perhaps worse than witnessing him getting burned on the molten rocks of Mustafar when you accessed the memory of that incident in his mind. Because that’s exactly what Vader’s thoughts were consumed of as he was tortured, recalling the night of his fall to the Dark Side, his mind slowly shutting down. It was pure torment, watching him being killed by Palpatine and unable to do a thing.

“You told me to help him,” you tried to cry out, except your voice was just a hoarse whisper, your vocal cords damaged from your screaming. “You told me I could save him,” you rasped, thick tears streaming down your face. 

“ _ Please _ ,” you begged, tapping into the Force as you shut your eyes, unable to look at Vader’s torturous form any longer. “Luke, please. Help your father. Save him. Anyone.  _ Please _ .”

_ Trust in the Force. _

Your eyes snapped open, feeling a ghost of a touch on your shoulder.

_ You’re the Guardian of the Force.  _

_ The bridge between the Light and the Dark.  _

_ Help me save my father. _

Luke’s voice. You looked up to see his transparent form standing over you, his hand on your shoulder as he gazed down at you. 

_ Help me bring him back to the Light Side,  _ he nodded at you, helping you to your feet.

_ The prophecy of the Chosen One shall be fulfilled, _ another voice next to you and you turned your head to see the man you’ve only ever met in Vader’s own memories. The man Vader considered to be his friend, his mentor, his brother, his father-figure. The man that he fought on the hellish rocks of Mustafar and lost to. The man that maimed him and left Vader to die.

_ Feel the Force _ , another voice cut in and you saw a small green creature looking up at you with a wisdom in his large eyes, his head tilted to the side as he regarded you.  _ Smaller in number are we, but larger in mind. Use the power of the thousand Jedi, you must. _

You felt them all, their power passing through you. Thousands of generations of the Jedi, all gathered here with you.

“ _ Stop _ ,” you snarled, focusing your gaze on Palpatine as he turned his gaze your way just as you reached for the Skywalker’s lightsaber. There was no longer any need to be afraid. You were not alone. 

Palpatine finally released Vader, his body dropping on the ground with a loud thud. He was still alive, you could still feel his life signature in the Force, wavering and slight but still there. 

“Foolish girl,” Palpatine sneered. “There is no longer any point for you to fight. The Rebellion had long lost. Vader’s Fleet will be destroyed. The rest of your feeble Rebels will perish with their planets. You have  _ nothing _ .  _ No one. _ You will die along with Vader and your unborn child. The legacy of Skywalkers will perish once and for all.”

“You are wrong,” you whispered, inching closer to Vader’s body. “I have everything I need.”

“Then so be it,” Palpatine rasped. “Let your death be the final word in the story of the Rebellion.”

You gritted your teeth as the surge of Palpatine’s attack hit against the blue blade, your cries drowned by the static electricity buzzing against the sword’s blade. Yet you plowed forward, feeling the presence of other Jedi behind you, all of them pushing you onward as you forced your way against Palpatine. It was only when you finally reached Vader did you collapse by his side, still fighting the onslaught of Palpatine’s attack, your strength weakening. 

_ Father _ , Luke was by your side, touching Vader as he finally snapped his eyes open, finding the essence of his son looming over him.

“ _ Please _ ,” you begged Vader, his shocked gaze landing on you. “I need your help.  _ We all do. _ ”

Vader’s eyes widened. You knew what he was seeing. Forms of Jedi surrounding the place, all the power coursing through your veins, shared through your bond with Vader. His eyes landed on the one Jedi standing off to the side, patiently waiting for Vader to acknowledge him.

“Obi-Wan…” Vader rasped, his lips forming into a silent “oh” as he watched the man with tears in his eyes. “I - “

_ Not now Anakin _ , Obi-Wan chided, shaking his head.  _ Right now  _ she _ needs your help. Let's finish this once and for all.  _

Vader breathed with an agonized intake of his breath and with Luke’s help managed to raise himself to a kneeling position next to you, his breaths harsh and labored as he struggled to remain conscious. 

Palpatine sneered, his eyes blind to the presence of all the Jedi around him, his focus on you. “You are no match for my power. You are  _ nothing _ , a mere girl with insignificant powers compared to mine. You are not even a  _ Jedi _ while  _ I _ am all the  _ Sith _ !”

“No,” you breathed. “I am not a Jedi.”

You managed to smirk, grabbing a hold of Vader’s hand as you wrapped it around the hilt of his saber, transferring all the power to him, the Dyad in the Force finally complete as you felt Vader’s Light Side of the Force bleeding through. 

“But  _ he _ is.”

Palpatine’s eyes widened, realization dawning on him when a new surge of power pulsed through your bond with Vader, no -  _ Anakin _ , the Sith lightning ricocheting back from Anakin’s blade towards Palpatine, throwing back the attack at the caster as Palpatine screamed, his body receiving the surges of lightning strikes, disfiguring his form once again. 

“ _ Impossible… _ ” Palpatine wailed, his eyes the only thing still distinguishable on his body as his skin started peeling off, the rest of his body disintegrating on site. 

“I  _ win _ ,” Anakin rasped, the last surge of power leaving through your bond with him, the lightsaber humming in approval as Palpatine finally exploded, the shockwave of explosion sending waves of destruction all around you, destroying the Sith Throne and the Temple’s grounds, the Dark Side finally silenced as the last of the Sith perished from the face of the galaxy.

You choked on your sob, smiling through your tears when you realized the battle was finally over. Even up above, it seemed that the Imperial Fleet was taking control of the situation with the  _ Executor _ leading the attack, using the same tactic it used above Coruscant in destroying the  _ Avenger _ .

“We won,” you breathed, taking in the destruction all around you. “We did it, we - “

Your words died in your throat when Anakin slumped forward, falling on the ground in front of you, his blue eyes unseeing as they stared up at you. You could no longer feel him in the Force, your bond with him snuffed out from existence, only this time it wasn't a trick of the cloaking device or his elaborate plan to fake his own death.

“No,” you shook your head. “No, no,  _ no _ !” you screamed, crawling up to him, feeling for his pulse. There was none.

“No,” you wailed, desperately shaking him. “Wake up! You can’t die. You promised - “ your voice cracked, a heavy stream of tears falling down your face, landing in droplets on top of his cheeks.

“You  _ promised _ ,” you cried out loud, wailing as your head fell on his chest, your fingers digging into the material of his clothing, clawing at it as you struggled for breaths. 

“ _ Please _ ,” you begged, your voice breaking. You lifted your head to find all the Jedi disappeared except the three that stood in front of you, their gazes locked on Anakin’s lifeless body.

“Please,” you pleaded with Luke. “Please don’t take him from me. I can’t - I  _ need _ him.”

_ Death is a natural part of life _ , the smaller of the three had replied, his long ears drooping as he leaned on the cane.

“Not like this,” you argued, shaking your head. “He didn’t deserve to die like this. He has yet to - “ you shuddered, trying to take deep breaths through your tears. “He has yet to make peace with Leia. Make the galaxy a better place. Atone for the sins he’s done as Vader through the good I know he can do if you only give him a second chance.”

_ Anakin had fulfilled the prophecy of the Chosen One _ , Obi-Wan replied, his eyes solemn as he gazed at you.

“Give him a second chance,” you pleaded.

_ [Y/N] _ , Luke started as he crouched on the opposite side of his father in front of you.

“Is the Force that cruel to show me visions of things that were never meant to be?” you cried, looking at Luke with an anguished gaze. “To tease me of promises that were snatched away from me before they could even be formed?”

Luke regarded you for a moment, his eyes sweeping over your face, seeking something for himself. He nodded his head when he finally found what he was searching for.

_ Luke _ , Obi-Wan warned, stepping closer to the younger Jedi.

_ I see my father found someone who cares very deeply for him _ , Luke replied instead, his gaze still locked with yours. 

“I love him,” you whispered, admitting your feelings to now the other sibling.

_ The spell is broken, the bond you had is now severed _ , the smaller of the Jedi reminded and you lifted your eyes to acknowledge the green creature.

“I didn’t fall in love because of the spell. I fell in love because my heart chose to do so.” You knew the words rang with truth. You already realized it long before the Jedi pointed it out to you. Whatever spell Anakin cast on you, it had no effect on your feelings towards him. It may have forced you to sleep with him, clouding your judgment on the matter, but it could never recreate the feeling of pure love you felt for him. 

You regarded all three Jedi, your gaze sweeping from one to another. “It was the will of the Force to bring us together, to bind us in a Force Bond,” you started, believing your words despite what Palpatine told you or the fact that he was the one who bridged yours and Anakin’s minds. “One cannot exist without the other. He is my other half, the darkness in light. There must be balance in the Force.”

You looked at Luke to see him smiling. 

_ I see you managed to find your purpose. You are no longer afraid of who you are, who you were meant to be.  _

You watched as Luke placed his hand on Anakin’s chest, a soft light glowing from his hand. Obi-Wan shifted, placing his hand on Luke’s shoulder, lending him his own strength in the Force.

“What are you doing?” you asked with a slight panic in your voice.

_ The power of the Force, its infinite abilities you do not yet possess the knowledge of _ , the smaller Jedi replied as he closed his eyes, extending his small three-fingered claw hand towards Anakin’s body, the same light glowing from his fingertips.

You watched with held breath at what appeared to be some ancient ritual to restore one’s life, the life force itself being threaded through the Jedi’s fingers into Anakin’s body, the light slowly enveloping his full form until it disappeared. 

Then you felt it. A beat in the Force. Your link with Anakin slowly coming to life. The rise and fall of his chest. The fluttering of his eyelids until his eyes slowly opened up, the blue irises softly glowing in the darkness of the night amidst the destroyed Temple, his gaze focusing on you. You smiled, fresh tears gathering at the corners of your eyes, trying to wrestle with yourself until you could no longer. You flung yourself at him, wrapping your arms around his neck, loudly weeping into his ear, uncaring about anyone watching you and witnessing your breakdown.

Anakin groaned and you instantly tensed, lifting your head to look at him. “What happened?” he asked, his voice still hoarse.

“You don’t remember?” you asked, realizing how stupid it must have sound when he shot you a dry look, making you chuckle until you started crying once more. “You…  _ died _ !” you wailed, drowning him once more with your tears.

“You kriffing  _ bastard _ ,” you hit him in the chest and he groaned once more, wincing from pain, his body still sore and aching from earlier battle. The Jedi brought him back to life but they didn’t heal his injuries and there were plenty of them littering his skin. “You promised me - “ you continued, burying your head in his chest, soaking his clothes with a new onset of fresh tears falling out of your eyes. You had a feeling you’d be doing that quite a lot for the next few days, your hormones only spewing on your emotional breakdowns. 

“Died?” he repeated, hissing as he tried shifting from under you.

“Yes,” you choked, your body starting to tremble from an aftershock. “If it weren’t for these three - “ you lifted your head only to find the Jedi gone.

“They are  _ gone _ ,” you whispered, your eyes sweeping the empty space to confirm your words. They truly were gone, disappeared from trace without as much as saying their goodbyes. You didn’t even have the chance to thank them for saving Anakin’s life.

Anakin finally raised himself to a sitting position, his expression grim. “What did you tell Obi-Wan to convince him to spare my life?”

You frowned. This wasn’t the reaction you expected him to have. “I - um,” you stumbled for words. “It was Luke. He saved you.”

Anakin frowned, his lips thinning into a thin line. “What’s wrong?” you asked, noticing his expression.

“You should have let me die,” he whispered, his gaze averted, stunning you with his answer.

“ _ What _ ?” you choked, staring at Anakin with wide eyes.

“I deserved to die,” he swallowed, still avoiding looking at you. “Luke should not have been the one to spare me - “

“I begged them,” you cried, finally drawing his attention to you. “I pleaded with them to let you stay, to not take you away.”

“ _ Why _ ?”

“ _ Because I love you _ ,” you exclaimed, looking into Anakin’s blue eyes, slightly widened from shock. “What other reason would I have? I thought I lost you. I couldn’t bear the thought of that - “ your voice broke.

“You only love me because - “

“Don’t you dare finish that sentence,” you snarled, shocking him further with your viciousness. “I know what I feel. Don’t you dare tell me otherwise.”

He was silent, his eyes boring into your own, both of you seeking truth in each other’s gaze. “I’m sorry,” he finally muttered, finally breaking his gaze to stare at his hands.

“There will be time later for apologies,” you replied. “Right now we need to get you some medical attention.”

That snapped his attention back to your face, his eyes zooming in on you with such fierceness that you almost reared back.

“Speaking of which,” he snarled, the sudden change in his demeanor catching your breath. “Care to tell me why you failed to mention to me about your pregnancy? And how you ended up here in the first place?”

You cringed, biting your lip as you gazed at his enraged face. He was definitely mad. This would certainly take time trying to explain to him why you hid your pregnancy from him. You were not even remotely ready to bridge that subject. 

  
_ Kriff _ .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You're probably very happy that Anakin is alive. TBH, I was _that_ close to just let him die... but I know a few of you pleaded with me to let him live. And I'm not that cruel to kill him off without first settling some things that will be the main focus in the last few chapters of this story. I was honestly heaving and crying my eyes out typing the part after his death that I was left traumatized for days afterwards :p (I guess what's what I get being so much invested in this story.)
> 
> I read a very interesting article about a Force Dyad. If you didn't know, apparently Sidious tried recreating that bond with Darth Vader but was unsuccessful and then Darth Plagues tried the same with Sidious and was also unsuccessful. And it's all because the Dyad required both sides of the Force, or what they are trying to say that both Force users have to have light and dark within them. There cannot be balance without one or the other. And both the reader and Vader/Anakin had the light/dark within them, both accustomed to using both sides of the Force (even if the reader is not a Jedi). I wanted it to be explained better in this story than in the movies so I changed Palpatine's dialogue but left all the other major parts to make it more epic.
> 
> Also, just to add this... Palpatine realized that the Dyad was more important to him than the child he desired. It was the same thing with Rey when he first wanted to possess her. I mean the guy is freaking unstable and changes his decisions based on what makes the most sense and what in the long run with aid him the most. Which is why he declared that he would rather kill them both and just drain their life forces to obtain the ultimate power than be a cripple and train a child.
> 
> From now on, Vader will be referenced as Anakin and it will be explained in more detail in the next few chapters. Like I said, the conflict is far from over. But now that conflict is going to be directed at Anakin himself. You'll see what I mean. 
> 
> I hope you are still enjoying this story... I'm sorry I put you all through this emotional hell but it _will_ end with a happy ending :)


	56. Cruel siren.*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eh, I don't know how I feel about this chapter but I kept it so here we go... as promised. More smut, cause why not? :p

“You really should have the droid take a look at your injuries,” you started, watching as Anakin was pacing around the medbay on board the _Executor_ , his hands balled into fists, stalking around the place like a wild animal.

He abruptly stopped, swirling his head your way, his outgrown locks, greasy and streaked with blood, clinging to his forehead covered in beads of sweat, his gaze hard as his eyes landed on your sitting form on top of the medical bed. “You have no say in this,” he hissed, raising his hand as he pointed his fingers in an accusatory manner at you. “You deliberately kept your pregnancy from me.”

“And I already told you - “ you started but were interrupted as the medical droid finally rolled in with a datapad in its hands, carrying the information about your state of health that Anakin instantly snatched into his own hands.

“Everything appears to be normal,” the droid intoned and you breathed a sigh of relief. “There is no imminent danger to either the mother or the child.”

You shot Anakin a smirk which he ignored, instead scrolling through the report, seeking out the truth for himself. You never realized how paranoid the man was until he learned of your pregnancy. It was like a switch was flipped on, his judgments clouded by the irrational fears that you were somehow still in danger. You tried to reassure him that you were fine, that he was the one that needed medical help, but he simply ignored you and practically carried you in his arms much to your outrageous cries to the ship he arrived on to Exegol, taking you both straight aboard the _Executor_ still orbiting above the planet’s surface amidst all the debri from the battle, and then dragging you to the medbay where he requested full diagnosis of your health.

“But I must say that the patient is lacking the proper nutrients,” the droid continued and your smirk fell from your lips, noticing the look Anakin shot your way. “She is improperly nourished which may impair the development of the fetus, not to mention the deficiencies of vital vitamins - “

“Okay, that’s enough,” you cut in before the droid could say anything more. “I was already well aware of those facts and was working with the medical droid on Takodana after my fainting spell - “

“You _fainted_?” Anakin growled and you saw his face turning a few shades darker, a dark cloud ready to be unleashed.

“It’s perfectly normal,” you started, trying to shrug off his concern.

“That is _not_ normal,” the droid piped in and you were ready to drive one of your recovered lightsabers from Maul’s dead body through the droid’s parts. 

“That is yet another strike against you,” Anakin growled, throwing the datapad to the side as he stalked towards you. “How many times have I told you that your carelessness endangers others?”

“Look - “

“No,” he growled, stopping in front of you as he leaned above the bed. “ _This_ tops everything else.”

“I had everything under control - “

“ _Under control?_ ” he yelled, his eyes flashing in anger. “You mean to tell me that _dying_ was part of your plan?”

You scoffed. “I wasn’t the one who _died_ ,” you yelled back, jumping from the bed, hot tears threatening to spill from the corners of your eyes. 

“You didn't just put _your_ life in danger,” he hissed, ignoring the jab. “You dared to put the life of _our_ _child_ in danger as well. And I can hardly overlook that past everything else you’ve ever done. How do you expect me to trust you - “

“ _Trust_?” you spat, throwing the word back at him with fury in your eyes. “Says the man who erased my kriffing memory! The one who cast the spell. You are something else,” you hissed, jabbing your finger into his chest.

“I must say,” the droid cut in, interrupting the stand off between you and Anakin. “That the additional stress is unbeneficial to the patient in her condition. It may harm - “

“Oh, _kriff off_ ,” you screamed, flinging the droid across the room with enough force to silence it as it shattered to pieces.

“And that’s another thing,” Anakin started, shooting a bemused look at the damaged droid. “Your apparent lack of control of your own powers.”

You scoffed. “Why, Skywalker, afraid I might best you in a fight?”

He almost reeled away from you, his eyes snapping at you with a shocked expression on his face before it morphed into an angry scowl. “Don’t you dare call me by that name!” he growled, trying to create an intimidating presence as he towered over you. 

You bared your teeth at him, sneering as you shot him a look that dared him to do anything to you. “That's your given name, isn’t it? Anakin Skywalker, the Chosen One.”

“Be quiet,” he growled, his pupils minimizing until they were just a pin dot.

“Your master is now dead,” you continued, ignoring the danger lurking in his eyes. “You don’t have to pretend to be Darth Vader any longer.”

“Stop talking,” he repeated, spitting the words out. 

“ _Why_?” you raised your chin, flashing him a defiant look. “Afraid to admit that you finally proved everyone wrong, except Luke? That deep down you were always the same man but you were too terrified to acknowledge what it all meant?”

“Say no more,” the danger in his voice was almost palpable in the air. He was holding himself by a thin thread. 

“The Jedi would have never helped you had you not absolved yourself from the ways of the Sith,” you continued, leaning yourself closer to his enraged face. “You were, and have _always_ been the Chosen One, Anakin. _That_ is your true name.”

“ _Shut up!_ ” he roared and you reflexively flinched from the volume of his voice. 

“Or _what_?” you sneered. “Going to revert back to your old ways? Maybe even choke me for a good measure? That seemed to be Vader’s favorite tool of torture,” you knew you were crossing a line with those words, playing with the fire but you didn’t care. 

Anakin’s eyes were dark, almost to the point of consuming you with their intensity, but still they remained distinctly blue, no hint of amber in them. You were right all along, the presence of the Dark Side receded from his soul just as you felt it at the final moments of Palpatine’s life. Anakin Skywalker was back, regardless of what the man in front of you thought otherwise. But you wouldn’t let him fool anyone else, and most certainly not himself. He had to see the reason behind your words, see the outcome of the battle for himself. 

He was trembling with rage, his hands clenching and unclenching into fists as he stared at you while you waited for him to say something. The air between you was so tense that you wouldn’t have been surprised if an electric spark was triggered due to the charged space, yet you refused to give in and stared back. Finally, with vehement reluctance, Anakin drew a sharp breath and took a step back.

“You don’t know what you speak of,” he ground out, his voice terse and cold and void of any emotion. You felt your lips thinning into grimace. So he still refused to acknowledge the truth. 

“Anakin,” you started and this time visibly flinched when Anakin flung some medical equipment around the room in his rage.

“ _Don’t call me by that name!_ ” he roared and your eyes widened when he crossed the short space between you two and pushed you against the wall with the medical bed still behind you digging into your back, trapping you in place with his body. “Don’t you _dare_ utter that name in my presence ever again, or I swear - “

You’ve had enough. If he wasn’t going to listen to your words then you had to find some other way to get your point across and you knew just the way to do it, an absurd idea that fluttered inside your mind shortly after you started arguing. You sneered at him, and before he had the chance to anticipate your movements, you kneed him hard in the groin, enough for him to groan in pain as his face twisted into a grimace. And before he could topple over you, you twirled your body around, wrapping your leg around his own to swing him around and throw him on top of the medical bed, the action so sudden that it left Anakin in a slight daze. 

“What - “ he started but you were already on top of him, straddling his hips as you pushed his back against the wall, pressing your body against his while holding his wrists in a tight grip. You didn’t let him finish whatever he was about to say as your lips crushed against his and you poured all of your feelings into the kiss, drowning his muffled protests. He was still trying to fight you, trying to twist his wrists from your grip so you did the unthinkable, something you’ve never attempted to do before and certainly not with the man who was more unstable than the bed you two were on. You locked his wrists in a Force grip above his head, wrapping some sorts of medical cord hanging above your heads around his arms to hold him in place. 

“What is this?” he growled, his eyes flashing in anger, trying to twist his arms free.

You did not reply, instead dipping your head to place another kiss on his lips, silencing his further protests as you nibbled on his lower lip, trailing your tongue across the skin. This only evoked more growls from his throat and before he had the chance to free himself, you sneaked your hand between your bodies, settling it on top of his belt buckle, trailing your finger suggestively around the clasp. That immediately drew his attention as he stilled.

“What are you doing?” he hissed when you continued to trail your tongue across his jaw, nuzzling your nose in his long locks as you nibbled on his earlobe, drawing a shaky breath from his lips. He tasted of sweat and blood, and you found that you liked the exquisite taste, continuing to trail your tongue along the jugular vein of his neck, feeling the rapid beat of his pulse.

“[Y/N],” his voice was a warning, mixed with an undeniable underlying arousal. He tugged on his restraints again, almost snapping the cord in half.

“I know you can easily break free,” you murmured, your fingers still playing with the buckle until you lowered your hand, brushing your fingers against the bulge that was there, only growing larger with each passing second. “But I don’t want you to.”

“What the kriffing hell - “ he started and then you wrapped your hand around his cock through the material of his pants and he choked on his words, his body jerking at your touch. 

“I need you to understand,” you started, pumping him up a few times to watch him audibly draw a few shaky breaths, his attempt at breaking free all but forgotten. His eyes were glued to your hand still laying on top of his crotch, the material of his pants the only barrier between the two of you and you knew from the impatient jerk of his hips and the way his lips twitched that he wished you’d remove the damn cloth out the way. You smirked, your plan was working.

You placed your other hand on his chest, feeling the strain of his muscles under the shirt as you guided it lower until you reached the hem and then tugged it up above his abdominal muscles, trailing your fingers along the prominent ridges of his abs, your desires at wanting to touch him this way finally coming true. You didn’t miss the bruises or scars littering his body, some of them still oozing with blood while others had long dried up and now caked up with angry scabs. You paid particular attention to some of the worst ones such as burns, a result of the electrocution he had to endure at the hands of Palpatine. His skin looked raw and red, blistered and would most certainly scar if he didn’t receive the proper medical treatment right away, only adding to more scars already covering most of his body. 

He hissed when you swiped your finger along one of the smaller blisters, only confirming what you were already speculating. He was in pain but tried to hide it from you, enveloping himself in a bubble full of anger and resentment just to keep the pain at bay. You frowned, chewing on your lower lip as you looked at him.

“So you still think you don’t need medical help?” you asked, drawing his gaze to your face.

“That’s,” he shook his head, resuming his attempt at breaking free. “That’s irrelevant. Whatever you’re doing right now needs to stop - “

You huffed and then dropped both of the hands on the belt buckle, unclasping it as you unzipped him and then before he had the chance to protest or stop you, you had already freed his aching erection from the confines of his pants and started earnestly pumping him, drawing gasps and muffled moans from your lover’s lips. 

“What - “ he groaned when you squeezed him particularly hard, your other hand enveloping his scrotum, massaging the skin and his plump sack with it, watching as Anakin struggled to maintain a stoic face, his eyes shutting as he tried to regain control of his breathing. This won’t do. He was still too pent up, still too stiff for your liking. He was still trying to fight the pleasure coursing through his body. For this to work, you needed him relaxed, needed him to drop his guard. 

Before he could sense the change or feel your hesitation on the matter, you shifted above him and then dropped your head down, enveloping him in your mouth as he let out a startled gasp, followed by a guttural moan when you started sucking him, twirling your tongue around his length and his head, tasting the salty product of his arousal in your mouth as you lapped the droplets of his precum, enjoying the way his hips would jerk each time your tongue would sweep through the sensitive patch of his skin.

“You don’t - ah, _fuck_ \- “ Anakin moaned, his body straining under your unrelenting assult of your lips and tongue on his member, trying to take his whole length in your mouth only to realize that he was too large. That didn’t stop Anakin from thrusting his hips into your mouth, effectively lodging his cock all the way in as you let out a choking sound, tears stinging in the corners of your eyes as you fought with yourself to not throw up. 

“Your mouth feels so fucking _good_ ,” he breathed, finally succumbing himself to the pleasure coursing through his body. He tried shifting his hips but you stopped him, placing your hand on his stomach as you popped him out of your mouth, thick string of saliva trailing behind as you looked up from your position to see his eyes half lidded, dark orbs of blue zoning in on you and your mouth, inches away from his throbbing cock.

“Why did you - “ he trailed off, groaning when you resumed your teasing touches with your tongue, now swirling it up and down his shaft, each movement making him twitch. 

“Does that mean you’re ready to listen to me?” you asked, your voice sounding foreign to your ears, hoarse and laced with your own arousal. 

“What?” he asked in daze, his focus sharpening but you resumed your game, enveloping him back inside your mouth, keeping one hand on the base of his shaft to prevent him from jerking his hips and gagging you again. You needed to remain in control, despite how difficult it proved to be when your own heat of arousal was pooling in between your inner thighs, your core throbbing with need with each of Anakin’s low groans and gasps. 

You expertly played with his length, applying enough seal around your lips to suck him and pump him with your hand only to back down when you knew he was getting close to his own release. He was groaning in a frustrating manner when you staved off his orgasms repeatedly, growing more impatient with each passing minute, his cries of pleasure turning into low hisses and undeniable Huttese curse words.

“Just, ah, fuck - _please_ ,” he finally pleaded when he’s had enough of your game. You stopped your movements to look up at him with your lips still around his cock, spit forming around the corners and trailing down your chin. You knew you looked like a mess but so did he, red flush coloring his cheeks, his eyes wide and pleading with you, his hair clumped to his forehead covered with sweat. His chest rising and falling with each deep breath as he stared at you. You let go of him, once again making him hiss as he gritted his teeth.

“Please what?” you asked with an innocent voice, raising yourself to a sitting position above him, each of your thighs pressed against his hips.

He growled, a feral look appearing in his eyes. “You know damn well _what_ ,” he hissed. “Why go through all this trouble? You _want_ something - “

“I do,” you admitted, smiling as you started removing your own clothing, drawing his attention to your movements, his eyes glazed with hunger. “But so do you,” you discarded the top layer of your clothing, now bared in nothing but your undergarments. You could practically feel the heat of his gaze on your skin.

He audibly swallowed, his cock twitching as the sight in front of him. “Then what do you want?” he asked.

You cocked your head to the side and instead of replying, removed the last part of your underclothes, exposing your full body to his view. You knew what he was seeing, the harsh lights of the empty medbay failing to hide your own product of arousal trailing down your inner thighs. You were soaked and ready for him, your core only inches away from his member.

“Are you going to let the droids take a look at you and treat your wounds?” you asked, drawing his gaze from your slicked folds back to your face.

“Is that what this is all about?” he growled.

“No, but answer the question,” you positioned yourself in alignment with him after pulling down his own pants past his knees, waiting for his response. 

“Kriff,” he hissed. “ _Fine_. I’ll let the droids take a look at me. Satisfied yet?”

“Not even by a long shot,” you smiled and then dropped yourself on top of his cock, sliding with ease all the way down his length until you had him fully sheathed inside of you, drawing a hoarse groan from his lips, mixed with your own breathless moan, this new position feeling more extreme and pleasurable, Anakin’s cock feeling much larger and lodged in more deeper inside of you than you ever remembered. You placed your hands on top of his chest, stabilizing yourself as you let yourself become accustomed to the new intrusion, squeezing your muscles around his member to draw more harsh sounds from Anakin’s lips. 

Just as you were about to start moving, he suddenly interrupted you with a panicked tone. “Wait, we shouldn’t be doing this,” he started and you frowned. “The baby - “

You grinned, understanding where his concern was coming from. He was worried he would somehow harm the child steadily growing inside your womb if you were to have sex. 

“Don’t worry,” you whispered, leaning yourself on top of him to place a small kiss on his lips. “He is going to be just fine.”

“ _He_?” 

You didn’t answer, instead raised yourself above him and then dropped down, testing out the new position. By the look on Anakin’s face, he was enjoying this just as much as you did, forgetting about your earlier slip up. 

You slowly started riding him, loving the feel of Anakin’s cock stretching your insides, filling you up with his girth, his length hitting a certain spot that made you whimper with each drop of your hips. You had almost forgotten why you were doing this in the first place, your mind too hazy with your own arousal and pleasure coursing through your veins. 

“Hey,” you breathed, halting your movements for a moment to catch Anakin’s gaze, a low growl escaping his throat. “Do you remember what I told you earlier? About love?”

He frowned. “What?” 

“That I begged the Jedi to save you because I love you?” you asked, noticing how his facial features started forming into a grimace.

“Do we really need to talk about this _now_?” he hissed, anger returning into his tone of voice. 

“Yes,” you breathed, resuming your movements, squeezing his cock with your inner muscles. “You are a lot more cooperative this way.”

He scoffed and then shifted his hips, ramming himself with enough force to leave you breathless, a loud moan escaping your lips. 

“I can also fuck you senseless that you’d forget all about your futile attempts in making me change my own mind,” he growled.

“Then do it,” you breathed, pressing your breasts against his chest as you wrapped your arms around his back. “But that won’t change how I feel about you.”

He finally snapped his own restraints, your Force hold on him releasing as he ran his hands up and down your body, making you shiver in response to the rough surface of his gloves scraping against your tender flesh. He settled them on your sides, holding you in place as he started thrusting himself inside of you. Yet you refused to give in to your own pleasures, your mind set on letting Anakin know exactly how you felt. 

“Whatever spell you put on me, it could never make me fall in love with you,” you started, your voice breathless as you clutched to him, your hot breath in his ear sending shivers down his own body. “I fell in love with you out of my own volition. That fact will never change. The spell was broken when you - _ah_ ,” you moaned when Anakin sheathed inside of you particularly hard, making you tremble in his arms as the heat inside your core pulsed, ready to be unleashed. 

“That’s better,” he chuckled, your moans carrying across the empty medbay, his thrusts making the bed under you screech in protest. “I like it much better when you are like this.”

“ _Anakin_ ,” you protested, your voice a whine but which had a desired effect on the man under you. He instantly halted his movements, his fingers digging into your sides. 

“I told you not to call me by that name,” he hissed and you shivered, scratching his back with your fingers.

“But that’s your name,” you replied, lifting your head to look at him with glazed eyes. “And I like it.”

“And I don’t,” he argued back so you shook your head and started squeezing his member once more, urging him to continue his thrusts. 

“Why not?”

“Forget it,” he hissed.

“ _No_ ,” you were determined and too stubborn for your own good. 

“For kriff’s sake,” he hissed. “I told you I was no longer the same man. That Anakin Skywalker died on the shores of Mustafar - “

“Now that’s a lie,” you interrupted him which earned you a glare from the man. “The Jedi wouldn’t have helped if you were still a Sith.”

“You’re killing the mood,” he hissed, trying to tug you off his hips but you latched on, returning your Force hold on him in full force, trapping him under you and halting his movements as you started riding him with a sort of an abandonment, your hips slapping against his, skin on skin contact sending rivers of pleasure throughout your body. 

“You’re the one who is killing the mood,” you growled, flashing him a feral grin to which he answered with one of his glares, anger simmering just below the surface at your audacity. You were so _close_ , your own orgasm creeping in as you let yourself get lost in the sensation of Anakin’s cock spearing your insides.

“Force, Anakin, your cock feels so _good_ ,” you whined, ignoring another vicious look he sent your way, his own moans muffled as he tried to break free from your hold.

You knew he was close as well, his body strained, his member stiff and throbbing, ready to be spilled. You sent Anakin another smirk, stilling your movements to his outrageous cry as you staved off his release once again. You did that a few times, your own body shaking on top of his, your insides gripping him with an almost painful hold which caused your muscles spasm around his length, making him groan and then curse, hissing as he shut his eyes, trembling under you.

“ _Fuck_ ,” he screamed, his earlier anger replaced by his need to release his pent up frustration. “Just, _please_ \- “

“What is it, Anakin?” you whispered, trailing your fingers through his now soaked shirt with his own sweat. “Tell me what you want.”

His body jerked, eyes snapping open to glare at you. “I told you - “

“I want to cum on your cock,” you interrupted him, his eyes going wide from your shameless admission. “I want to cum so bad. Please let me cum. Anakin, _please_.”

“Stop calling me - “

“Don’t you want me to scream your name?” you asked, resuming your movements, your breasts swaying with each snap of your hips. “Hear me shamelessly moan it while I cum on top of you?”

“I - I do,” he rasped. “Please, just let me - “

“Then you need to tell me what to call you,” you replied.

“You know my name,” he snarled. “It’s Vader.”

“No,” you stilled once more and could have sworn you saw a glint of tears in Anakin’s eyes, his need overwhelming all his other emotions, his breaths harsh as he struggled in your hold. 

“ _Fuck_ ,” he screamed, gritting his teeth as he banged his head against the wall. 

“Tell me your name,” you repeated, resuming your movements, your thighs covered in slicked fluids, your folds drenched as you easily guided yourself up and down his shaft. 

“You’re a cruel siren,” he hissed through clenched teeth. “I swear I’m going to - “

You twirled your hips and he screamed, his expression causing your insides to twist in pleasure. Anakin looked totally spent, on the brink of losing his mind, his eyes wide open and unseeing. 

“That's better,” you whispered, throwing his own words back at him. “I rather much see you like this.”

“ _Please_ ,” he begged.

“Tell me your name,” you repeated, waiting with stilled breath as Anakin tried to formulate another snarky response only to groan and then sag in defeat as he slumped his body against the wall, no longer trying to fight you.

“It’s Anakin,” he hoarsely whispered and you grinned, letting go of your Force hold on him. You raised your hand to tilt his chin, finding his gaze under the hair that had fallen over his eyes.

“I love you,” you kissed him, tasting saltiness on his lips from the tears that spilled from his eyes. “Never forget that.”

Anakin shifted and then with a feral grunt that took you by surprise, started pounding into you with such viciousness that left you breathless, your mouth wide open as the only sound leaving your lips were your own screams and moans. You were desperately clutching to Anakin’s shirt, your insides blazing with fire, each thrust of Anakin’s cock sending immense pleasure down your spine until you blanked out, the knot inside of you exploding.

“Now scream my name,” Anakin snarled and you did, wailing his name over and over again as you were gushing from your orgasm all over his cock while he pulsed inside of you with his own release, filling you up with his seed. The intensity of your orgasm left you breathless as you collapsed on top of him, burying your face into the crook of his neck, your body still twitching and shaking from your orgasm. You’ve never felt such powerful release in your lifetime and you were sure neither did he. Neither of you spoke for some time, both just trying to catch your breaths, your bodies still connected with one another. 

Finally, Anakin shifted below you and then pulled himself out of you, the product of his release trailing down your thighs on top of his.

“ _Never_ do that again,” he warned and you raised your head to find him glaring down at you.

“You’re mad,” you stared into his eyes, blazing with fury.

“You _think_?” he hissed. 

“Well then, join the club,” you growled back. “I’m mad too.”

“Kriff it, woman,” Anakin hissed then sighed. “This was all your _fault_.”

“I’m still waiting for an apology,” you snorted, disconnecting yourself from his body as you dropped down from the bed to find quite an appealing sight of Anakin sprawled on the bed, sinful fluids covering his pants and seeping into the material. “Nice look you got there,” you smirked, noticing the flush in his cheeks.

“I could say the same about you,” he growled indicating with his head towards your unbashful nakedness. “You’re freezing,” he finally commented, perhaps noticing the goosebumps covering your skin from the cold air in the medbay that you just now noticed. He raised himself from the bed, tucking himself in before ripping the sheet from the bed and wrapping it around your body.

“You’re insane,” he murmured and you rolled your eyes.

“I thought that was already established between us,” you replied back.

“Not like this,” he shook his head.

“Well, you wouldn’t have known had you been _dead_ ,” you spat back, averting your gaze from him.

You heard him sigh. “I’m sorry,” he murmured, which prompted you to raise your head back up to stare at him. “About everything. I keep screwing everything up - “

“This isn't a pity party,” you interrupted him. “And you don’t screw _everything_ up, just _some_ things.”

“Like the spell?”

“Like the spell.”

“Right,” he frowned. “That was - uh - kriffed up.”

You snorted. “No kidding.”

You two awkwardly stared at one another. There were still a lot of issues you had to work through with each other. This was just a first step, one of the many you had to take in order to find the common ground and restore your relationship.

“You said something,” he started and you noticed his gaze on your stomach. “Is it true?”

“What?” you were fairly certain what it was he was about to ask you.

“About our child being a boy,” his voice cracking slightly as he said it. 

You smiled. Perhaps not all visions were destined to come true in the events that transpired there. He wasn’t supposed to find out like this, but then again neither were you supposed to know of the child’s gender just yet. It was the will of the Force to reveal it to you that way.

“Yes,” you confirmed, taking one of Anakin’s hands and placing it on your stomach. “It’s a boy.”

  
His lips twitched and he swallowed, but remained standing in front of you with his hand still pressed against your stomach. He didn’t say anything else. He didn’t need to. You knew a time would come for him to think of the baby’s name later on. You knew he would decide on Luke. The Force’s vision did not matter to you. All that mattered to you was the fact that Anakin was here with you, _alive_. And the undeniable happiness leaking through your bond with him at the prospect of having a son. Anakin was happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seducing Anakin? (check)  
> Giving him a blow job? (check)  
> Staving off his orgasm? (check)  
> Making him beg? (check)  
> Making him cry? (check)
> 
> Am I forgetting anything else?
> 
> But seriously, Anakin can be a pain in the butt. He is very hard headed. Why did I write this chapter the way I did? Because the reader had to find a way to break the news to Anakin. He's having a hard time coming to terms with the reality that Darth Vader is no more. And he doesn't want to acknowledge the fact that he has to deal with the repercussions of becoming Anakin Skywalker once more. He's still not fully convinced. That we will see in more depth in the next chapter.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed this hot piece of cake :D cause I won't be writing any more smut for this story.


	57. Anakin.

Anakin’s POV

“Lord Vader, we should be arriving back to Coruscant in two standard hours,” one of the officer’s voices aboard the _Executor_ informed him through his personal comlink. He simply sighed, disconnecting the call, not in a mood to have any of the discussions with his officers and especially certain _someone_. He could feel her gaze on him and her silent disapproval but she was smart enough to remain silent this time. After the stunt that she pulled earlier that day in the medbay, he hardly had any patience left to deal with more of her nagging.

“ _What_?” he finally snapped when he could no longer bear feeling her gaze on him.

She hummed. “I was just wondering,” she slowly started, her voice muffled by the covers, her body tucked away in the large bed in his personal bedchambers. “Are you planning on wearing that suit of yours again?”

His body twitched, the question just as less pleasing than if she started asking him about his damn name _again_. “Perhaps,” he ground out, shifting on the bed to sit up, facing her with his back. 

“But - “

“I don’t know,” he snapped, the question irritating him more than it should have. He was once displeased with the idea of donning the damn suit back on after his reconstructive surgery, now he was more than terrified to discard the suit; the idea of letting go of his old persona seemed more frightening than if he was tasked with facing Palpatine all over again. He was conflicted and it showed, the Force felt turbulent around him. He knew she could feel it too. 

“Anakin,” she started again and he flinched once more, the name grating on his nerves. He may have admitted his old name when she was torturing it out of him by denying him of his release, but now that his mind was clear, he was regretting succumbing to his weakness when he called out to her that wretched name. He certainly did not feel like his old self. And what was more irritating was the fact that he didn’t feel like Vader either. He could no longer tap into the Dark Side of the Force and prove to her that he was still the Sith Lord. The Force was silent on the matter. 

“I haven’t thought about it yet,” he snapped, jumping to his feet as he grabbed one of his robes draped over the bedside table and donned it over his body, flipping the hood over his head.

“Where are you going?” she asked, rising herself on her side of the bed but he quickly interrupted her.

“Stay,” he said and then grimaced when he realized it sounded more like an order. And he now knew more than anything that she hated taking orders, especially from him. He turned his head to see her staring at him with a disapproving look, defiance lurking in the depths of her eyes. 

“I need some time alone,” he started, shaking his head, trying to soothe his voice into a more gentle tone to convince her to stay put. “To meditate on the matter.”

She considered his words, cocking her head to the side. “Alright,” she finally conceded to his request. “But please don’t shun me away.”

He was startled by her request, thankful that his face was hidden by the hood of his robe as he turned his body away from hers. “Try to get some rest,” he told her instead and then exited the room before he changed his mind, heading straight for the main hallway but not before a glint of silver caught his eye and he stopped in his tracks to gaze down at his old lightsaber, thrown away in haste when he discarded his bloodied clothes. He frowned, then gritted his teeth, a non comical sound escaping his throat as he picked up the weapon with the Force. Even he could not deny the pull of the Force exhibiting from the weapon’s kyber crystal, calling to him in soft whispers. The last time he’d seen that weapon was in Luke’s hands, thought to be forever lost when he maimed his son’s hand. Who would have thought he would be holding his old lightsaber in his hands after over two decades of being forgotten, reminiscing him of his old life. 

_This weapon is your life._

He could hear Obi-Wan’s voice in his head as he twirled the weapon in his hands, recalling that particular memory. He almost tossed the lightsaber in pure anger but stopped himself, the Force telling him it was important that he’d meditate with the kyber crystal.

“Stupid Force,” he ground out, pocketing the weapon in his robes as he exited his chambers, heading for the training grounds where he knew he’d find peace and undisturbed spot to meditate. He was relieved when he made it to the designated spot with no events, no one stopping him in his tracks, barely meeting any officers or stormtroopers as everyone was too focused on repairing the damage done to the ship in its battle against Plapatine’s own force. He didn’t think he’d be able to control his rage should someone approach him with an unintelligent question. 

He made sure to lock the doors behind him, dimming the lights of the training facility, deactivating security measures so as to not mistakenly activate training droids and then made it to the middle of the room, eyeing the dent in the far corner of the training grounds from the impact his body made when the woman used the Force to defend herself against him. He never had the chance to fix it and didn’t see the intention of doing that any time soon. It was a reminder for him that he almost killed her that day, that he couldn’t control his own emotions and his own power. 

He sighed and then unceremoniously dropped down on the floor, uncovered his face as he pushed back the hood of his robe and then scowled in the dim room as he retrieved his previous weapon, twirling the lightsaber in his gloved hands. He considered igniting it and then thought better of it, instead setting it down in front of him as he placed himself into a meditative position.

This would require his utmost concentration, calling out to the kyber crystal that resonated with his Light Side. He hadn’t done it in so long he almost thought it would be practically impossible. But the Force was insistent, its calling intensifying as he closed his eyes. There was a reason why the Force wanted him to reach for his kyber crystal, and placed his own weapon back into his hands. This wasn’t simply a coincidence that his old weapon called to the woman who was so deeply connected with him. 

It didn’t take him long to find the inner balance in his meditative state, his mind succumbing to the innermost layers of his own state as he navigated through the Force, seeking out the living force of the kyber crystal. It was there, he could feel its calling, feel its own power radiating in front of him and he reached for it, albeit with some hesitation he wouldn’t acknowledge to be as anything more than trepidation of what the crystal would show him. He knew it was inevitable for the crystal to show him its past memories, of its time being wielded by his younger self, Anakin Skywalker, and then later as Darth Vader, albeit for just a short amount of time but enough to cause enough harm to the crystal that it could bleed and cry out its own pain for slaughtering so many innocent lives. He would never forget the faces of the many Jedi he slaughtered amidst the Jedi Temple massacre, trustworthy and innocent eyes of the younglings staring up at him as he came to destroy the future of the Jedi.

_Master Skywalker, there are too many of them. What are we going to do?_

He clenched his teeth as the memory replayed itself inside his head. No, he didn’t want to see any of it. This wasn’t the reason why he wanted to meditate in the first place. He didn’t want to see any more of his mistakes playing out, taunting him, reminding him of what kind of failure he turned out to be. He didn’t want to feel this _pain_. This tightness in his chest he couldn't quite place the feeling to.

_It’s the guilt you’re feeling_ , the voice resonated somewhere next to him and he would have flinched if it wasn’t for years of training that taught him to stay still and survey his surroundings first before making any rapid movements. Except he didn’t need help recognizing the voice or its source, he _knew_ that voice like he knew his own.

“Obi-Wan,” he replied and then snapped his eyes open to see a shimmering presence of the older Jedi standing in front of him, looking just as he remembered him to be when he killed him on the Death Star.

_Hello, old friend_ , Obi-Wan replied, a ghost of a smile on the man’s face as he settled himself in front of Anakin in the same position he would often find his master at the Temple back when everything was much simpler, when there was no war, no hardships, no losses. When it was just him and Obi-Wan, training to be the Jedi.

“Friend?” he repeated, a scowl on his face as he digested the word. “Not the word I would use to describe someone who tried to kill me and then left me for dead.”

_I see you still have a lot of resentment towards me_ , Obi-Wan replied, his smile dying out on his face. 

“Wouldn’t you feel the same towards me?” he replied instead, ignoring the lump in his throat. “After everything I’ve done? After I pledged myself to the Sith? After I massacred everyone at the Temple? After I hunted down all the remaining Jedi? After I - “ his voice broke, unable to finish the last sentence. _After I betrayed you._

An uncomfortable silence followed soon after, both men looking at each other until Anakin finally had enough and he turned his gaze away, all of the sudden feeling shame and guilt eating away at him.

_I thought I did,_ Obi-Wan finally responded, drawing Anakin’s gaze back to the older Jedi. _But that isn’t the case now._

He almost felt like scoffing. “Then what changed? Is it because I finally fulfilled your damn prophecy about the Chosen One? Finally eradicated the Sith once and for all? Brought balance to the Force?” his voice was bitter, full of anger, resentment and hurt.

Obi-Wan’s face slumped, his lips thinning as he gazed at him with an odd look in the older Jedi’s eyes. _I have failed you, Anakin._

He failed to hide how his body flinched as soon as his mind registered Obi-Wan’s words. The same ones Obi-Wan had spoken to him when they fought each other on the lava rivers of Mustafar. He never registered the meaning behind Obi-Wan’s words back then and he was just as appalled now, staring at the older man with wide eyes.

_I have failed you_ , Obi-Wan repeated, shaking his head. 

“Enough,” he hissed, balling his hands into fists, refusing to let his emotions take over. He was thoroughly confused, unable to placate his growing guilt and pain everytime he gazed into Obi-Wan’s eyes.

_Anakin_ , Obi-Wan continued and despite how much he wanted to get up and leave the training grounds and Obi-Wan behind, he was rooted to the spot. _You should have never faced that burden alone. The Council should have never placed the prophecy of the Chosen One on you at such a young age. I should have protected you from it._

“What’s done is done,” he replied, gritting his teeth. 

_No_ , Obi-Wan shook his head. _It was all my fault. I should have been there for you all along._

“Don’t try to place all the blame on yourself!” he roared, silencing the other man with his uncharacteristic outburst. “This doesn’t condone my own actions. None if this ever could. _I_ failed your precious Jedi Order. _I_ destroyed life as you knew it. _I_ was the one responsible for Padme’s death. It was my own arrogance that almost cost me my own life. If anyone should be at blame, it should be _me_.”

_So you finally accepted it_ , Obi-Wan replied, regarding him with a look that told him Obi-Wan knew more than he let on.

“Accepted _what_?” he gritted through clenched teeth. 

_Anakin_ , Obi-Wan patiently started, reminiscing Anakin of the way his old master would always do when he was trying to teach a lesson to his young padawan. _I’ve been trying to reach you for so long. After my death, when you were still trying to hunt for Luke and then during your years of imprisonment. And even before that, back when I was still alive, seeking out your presence in the Force, hoping that someday I would feel your Light Side deep within your soul. But I could never quite reach you._

He couldn’t grasp Obi-Wan’s point. What was the old man hitting at? What was he trying to say?

_But you can see me now and we can finally talk with one another_ , Obi-Wan continued. _Which means your Light Side is finally showing through. Palpatine could not see us aiding you in your battle. But you could. Anakin, you cannot deny that you are no longer a Sith._

His body jerked. “I hardly think I fall within the parameters of the Jedi either.”

_Then so be it_ , Obi-Wan nodded his head. _Perhaps we were wrong interpreting the prophecy of the Chosen One all along. Perhaps it was never the Jedi or the Sith that meant to bring the balance to the Force. Perhaps it was always meant to be someone who had walked both paths of the Force. Someone who had witnessed both the good and the bad on both sides. You’re that someone, Anakin._

He considered Obi-Wan’s words, the Jedi’s rational thinking making somewhat of a sense but not enough to convince him. “I’m still not the man I used to be,” he finally acknowledged to his old master. “You cannot expect me to become my old self.”

Now it was Obi-Wan’s turn to consider his words. _That may be so_ , he finally agreed. _It is ultimately your own decision of what to make of your new life. You were given a second chance, Anakin. Use it wisely._

“She begged you to save me,” he suddenly recalled what the woman in his quarters told him when he finally regained his consciousness from his supposed death. “Why did you? You could have let me die, let the galaxy finally be at peace.”

Obi-Wan had the audacity to chuckle, startling him as he gazed at his old master. _Y_ _ou tend to pick the most audacious women in your life_ , Obi-Wan responded which earned him a glare from Anakin, one he ignored. _I hardly think the galaxy would have been at peace from the wrath of that woman if we chose to let you die. I helped Luke restore your life force. This was_ his _decision, perhaps it’s best if you ask him that question when you see him._

That drew his attention, his face falling when he realized the implication behind Obi-Wan’s words. Luke should not have been the one to save him. Luke should not have died in agonizing pain, calling out to his own father for help while he stood motionless by his son’s side. Luke should have hated him for failing his trust in his own father. 

“I - “ he didn’t realize how broken his voice sounded to his own ears. “I _failed_ him. I couldn’t save him, I couldn’t save - “ he couldn’t save anyone he ever tried to save. Not his mother, not Padme, not his own son. Why would Luke ever give him a second chance? He was a _failure_.

_Anakin_ , Obi-Wan drew his attention from the agonizing turmoil playing out inside his head. _We all make mistakes. Some more than others. But do not blame yourself for deaths you were not responsible for._

He started shaking, his eyes burning from the unshed tears. “That’s all I’ve ever done. Blamed myself for everything that has ever happened to me.”

Obi-Wan shook his head. _I should have heeded to your visions of your mother before it was too late. I should have been a better mentor and a friend you could have confided yourself to. I blame myself for my own lack of insight. At times when you needed me the most, I failed you. I only ever wished you would have told me about you and Padme -_

“And that would not have changed a thing,” he spat, his body shaking from the rollercoaster of emotions slamming against him. The hate he felt within himself was directed solely at him. He was the only one to blame for his wife’s death. “I still killed her. I choked the life out of her. And I failed her even in her death by hunting down our son and then watching him die by the hands of the one I called my master. So don’t tell me I shouldn’t be blaming myself for the atrocities I committed against my own family. Even against Leia. I don’t deserve this life. I should have died on Mustafar. You should have finished your task by striking me down.”

_That was never my intention_ , Obi-Wan started.

“Don’t pretend otherwise,” he replied, his voice dying out in his throat. He was feeling too exhausted to try and argue with his old master. This conversation was proving to be much more difficult to maintain. 

Another long pause, silence stretching for many minutes, neither of the men willing to break the fragile peace. He wasn’t even sure why Obi-Wan had decided to grace him with his presence. There was too much history between the two of them, too many heartbreaks and sorrows, too many grudges (albeit one sided and coming from deep within Anakin’s own heart.) He was not yet ready to admit that what he was feeling towards Obi-Wan was anything more than resentment. Part of him, one that was deeply buried within his heart and one he tried to squash and keep silent was becoming more adamant that Obi-Wan was right all along. That Anakin _was_ feeling guilt. Something that as Vader he never had the choice to feel. Sith _never_ felt guilt. 

Finally Obi-Wan shifted, drawing Anakin’s attention back to the older Jedi. _I’m afraid, my time has come_ , Obi-Wan announced, raising himself from the sitting position. _I do hope that my visit was not spent in vain._

He decided not to reply to Obi-Wan’s words. He was not in a position to clearly think at the moment. Anything that he’d told Obi-Wan prior to this point was laced by an inexplicable feeling of culpability thrown over his past actions; he simply could not shake off that feeling however much he tried. If anything, having this discussion with Obi-Wan only strengthened his guilt. He had a lot to meditate on.

_Anakin_ , Obi-Wan’s voice called out. _Believe me when I say that you did not cause Padme’s death. The doctors could do nothing for her. She died of the broken heart. But up until her final moments, she believed there was still good in you. She told me so herself._

If his heart could rip, it would have already been shredded to pieces. He curled his hands into tight fists, shutting his eyes as he clenched his teeth. This was the last thing he wanted to hear from Obi-Wan, knowing that Padme believed in him all along. A final punch in the gut, his emotions skyrocketing as he remained stoic, willing Obi-Wan’s ghost to disappear and leave him alone. The last thing he wanted Obi-Wan to witness was seeing him cry. 

_I’m truly sorry, Anakin_ , Obi-Wan whispered. _I do hope that next time you’d be willing to open up to me. Until then, this is a goodbye._

He remained sitting in the same position for minutes before he was fairly certain that Obi-Wan’s Force presence had disappeared completely. Only then did he allow himself to succumb to his grief, his shoulders slumping forward as his body shook from silent tears. All of his pent up emotions he tried to burrow for decades revolving around Padme resurfaced, like a sharp knife slicing through an old scar and spilling out everything he longed to forget. 

And just like the time in imprisonment, the voices of all those he killed resurfaced in his mind, taunting him, screaming at him, clawing at his mind as he helplessly wailed. The guilt was too much.

_Master Skywalker, there are too many of them. What are we going to do?_

“ _Stop_ ,” he begged, clamping his ears shut with his hands, trying to drown the noises. They only laughed back, their screaming and yelling intensifying. This was all inside his head. 

_Anakin, you’re breaking my heart._

“ _Please_ , stop,” he begged, hot tears streaming down his face as he rocked his body on the spot, tugging on his hair.

_Father, please! Help me!_

“ _Luke_ ,” he choked, his voice raw as he recalled the scene of his son being tormented by Palpatine. The scene that would never leave him alone. The one he replayed over and over again in his head. 

_Father, look at me._

The speed with which he whirled his head was so sudden it left his head spinning, his vision dizzy as he stared at what appeared to be another apparition of the Force staring at him with his son’s eyes. 

“Luke,” he breathed again, his mind in disarray as he tried to focus his gaze. He couldn’t believe his eyes. Luke Skywalker was standing in front of him just as he remembered him the last time, wearing a fitted, modernized garment of the Jedi, the one he’d been in when he died aboard the second Death Star.

_Hello father_ , Luke greeted him, watching his father with a wondrous look on the young man’s face as he studied his father’s features. Anakin was doing the same, his eyes wide as he stared at his son, his eyes roaming over Luke’s own features.

“How - “ he rasped and then tried clearing his throat. He dropped his hands from his face, his hair falling into his eyes and he impatiently tugged it back, earning a small chuckle from Luke.

_Obi-Wan was right. I_ do _look like you,_ Luke stated with a nonchalant tone in his voice.

He shook his head and then sprung to his feet, now having a much clear view of his son. He was still just as young as he last remembered him, his features reminding him so much of his own that it was almost like he was transported back in time and stared at his own reflection. Except for one thing.

_Except for the height_ , Luke echoed his own thoughts, his own height still towering over the young man as he gazed down at him. Luke scrunched his nose as though displeased with the notion that he was shorter than his own father. Even without the suit and with the different prosthetics, Anakin was a head taller than his son. 

“One of the traits you inherited from your mother,” he heard himself say, his voice muffled through the thick fog in his head. “Along with other things.”

_I was hoping being a Force ghost would grant me more powers_ , Luke laughed, the casual way with which he conversed with his father startling Anakin. _Like growing taller, or playing a prank on Han. Or even messing with Leia._

“I’m sorry,” he suddenly blurted out, silencing Luke with his abrupt apology. “Luke, I’m _so sorry_.”

_I know father_ , Luke nodded his head but Anakin continued in haste, shaking his head and trying to make the younger man understand what it was he was apologizing for.

“You should be the one standing here, _alive_ , not _me_ . I was not worthy of being saved, _especially_ not by you when I was the one who failed you when you begged me for my help. I don’t deserve your forgiveness - “

_Father_ , Luke cut in, his expression serious, reminding him for a split second of Padme. _You were able to turn from the Dark Side._

“Luke,” he started shaking his head.

_You told me once it was too late for you_ , Luke continued. _That the hold of the Dark Side on you was too strong. That you could never let go of your hate._

“You don’t understand,” he started, trying to make his son understand.

_No, father,_ Luke interrupted him once more. _I now understand why my destiny was to die that day on board the Death Star. Nothing could have ever changed that. My death was the catalyst for you to realize your own mistakes. It was a step towards your journey to redemption. A step towards the Light Side._

“I told you - “ he started with an impatient thrust of his hands towards the apparition. “My redemption is insignificant compared to the potential that the galaxy lost when you died, Luke. _You_ were the hope the Rebellion needed to restore the galaxy to its rightful state.”

_And you were the hope the Force needed to restore the balance_ , Luke replied. _There was always good in you. The Emperor was never able to fully drive it from you. You were always the Chosen One._

He’d lost count of how many times the prophecy of the Chosen One was mentioned in the last few days. He was growing sick and tired of it and it showed on his face as he sneered. Luke noticed, his body slumping as he regarded his father. 

_I’ve dreamt of the moment when I could meet you like this,_ Luke indicated with his hand towards Anakin’s unmasked face. _To be able to see you and hear your unmodulated voice._

His face fell, the sneer evaporating as it was replaced by another, more sorrowful expression. “That should be my line,” he quietly whispered. “I’ve always wanted to look at you with my own eyes.”

Luke nodded his head, a small smile gracing his lips.

“Why did you save me?” the question had been nagging at him ever since he learned it was Luke that gave him his life force back. Hearing it from Obi-Wan also confirmed his suspicions that it was entirely Luke’s idea to bring his father back to the world of living. 

_Because you’re my father,_ Luke simply answered, shrugging his shoulders. _Because I know that’s what you’d have done had you been given a choice to save me. And because_ she _begged me for it, the woman that loves you and carries the future of the Jedi in her womb._

“Jedi?” he repeated, the answer stunning him.

_Of course_ , Luke smiled. _He will need all the guidance he can get in his journey to restore the Jedi Order. The guidance he can only get from someone who had once been a Jedi himself. That is your legacy, father. The purpose that you’d been given with your second life. Help restore the galaxy to its true peace and security, balance the Force and be a loving father to your children._

When had Luke grown up so much? Was it the wisdom of the fallen Jedi that was rubbing off on the boy? Or was it Obi-Wan and Yoda giving Luke their advice on the matter?

“Your mother would have been so proud,” he choked out through tears in his voice. “I wish you’d met her.”

Luke smiled. _I’ve always felt her presence nearby. Now more so than ever._

He knew what Luke meant. At times when he needed someone the most, he could always feel Padme’s presence near him. He was always mistaking it for his own cruel trick of imagination. Perhaps he was wrong all along. Perhaps Padme never left his side. He always carried a part of her in his own heart. 

“Luke,” his eyes widened when he saw the apparition waver.

_It’s time,_ Luke nodded his head.

“Wait,” panic settled within him, his voice trembling as he reached for his son.

_I will always be by your side,_ Luke smiled. _Remember that._

“Will I see you again?” he asked, hope rising within his chest.

_You will,_ Luke reassured him, his expression thoughtful. _And I will always be a part of your new life in the form of your other son._

He was confused by Luke’s wording, the meaning behind his words stumping him until the apparition started to become more transparent, slowly disappearing into the Force.

_Remember who you are, father. Remember your true self. Accept the truth that you are Anakin Skywalker. That Darth Vader is no more. Let there be peace…_

He was staring into the empty space that was just second ago illuminated by Luke’s presence, his Force signature disappearing but yet somehow still present around him as he embraced his son’s words. The gut wrenching feeling of guilt was slowly easing itself off, his head feeling much clearer and his chest feeling lighter as though a burden was lifted off of him, allowing him to take a deep breath.

There were still many things he had to meditate on, to come to agreement with as he contemplated both Obi-Wan’s and Luke’s words. He was sure of one thing, that the Force would give him another chance to meet the two Jedi. And that by then, he was certain he’d come to terms with his new found identity, with his second chance at life. And then maybe, he would find it in his heart to let go of his resentment towards Obi-Wan and finally apologize to the old man for all the mistakes he’d made. And prove to Luke that he was indeed the person his son believed him to be. That was another journey to embrace, one he was sure the Force gave him a chance to redeem himself. 

___

He found her peacefully sleeping back in his quarters, tightly snuggled in around the many layers of sheets and blankets. He smiled, then eased himself on his side of the mattress, being careful in his movements as to not disturb her. It was late at night; he spent a good portion of the rest of the evening meditating and clearing his mind. 

“You’re back,” she whispered as he settled himself by her side, not at all surprised to see her awake. It appeared that she was waiting for his return until she fell asleep, succumbing to her exhaustion.

“I am,” he admitted, softly sighing as he turned his body to face hers. She was looking at him, her dark eyes shining in the darkness of the room, illuminated by the artificial light oozing off from the small crack under the bedroom’s door. 

She regarded him quietly. “You feel different,” she finally acknowledged, feeling the change within him. 

He sighed again. “You were right all along,” he admitted, closing his eyes.

“I was?” his admission caught her by surprise, clear astonishment palpable through their bond.

“I talked with Luke. And Obi-Wan.”

“Oh,” she was quiet, digesting that information. “Did it go… okay?”

“Yes,” he replied. “As you can feel, I’m a changed man.”

He could feel her confusion at his choice of words. “Anakin?”

“Yes?”

She was quiet once more. Realization dawned on her when he easily responded to his name. 

“Are you still mad at me?” he asked, opening his eyes to see her watching him with an unreadable expression on her face.

“I don’t know,” she answered. “Are _you_?”

“Not anymore,” he admitted and then slid himself closer to her. “I told you this already but I am sorry. Please forgive me.”

Now it was her turn to sigh. “You're impossible.”

He smirked. “Is that a yes?”

“No,” she rolled her eyes and his smirk fell from his lips. “It means you have a lot of work to do to get me back into your good graces.”

“Ah,” he pursed his lips, trying to hide the smile that threatened to spill over his lips. “If that is what the lady requests, then I shall oblige.”

She snorted. “You really are _something_.”

“I know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know how I feel about this chapter... I was having a very hard time writing the dialogue between Obi-Wan and Anakin and that's because of my own feelings on the matter. I honestly don't think Anakin and Obi-Wan can just simply get past everything that's happened between them. It can't happen overnight for sure. Anakin blames himself just as much as does Obi-Wan. They're almost the same in that regard. Plus with Anakin, he is still feeling resentment towards Obi-Wan as well as guilt. That's a hard thing to get by when he's hated that man for over two decades. So forgive me, if you think that interaction and that dialogue wasn't up to part with your expectations. But I imagined their conversation to be very awkward and tense and I hope I delivered it. 
> 
> This chapter was supposed to be like a starting page for Anakin in regards that he finally acknowledges who he is with Luke's help (and maybe Obi-Wan as well). Which is why I had to write if from Anakin's POV. I do hope you enjoyed it!


	58. Always.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to switch things up a bit and write this chapter from Leia's POV for once, instead of writing a separate story between her and Anakin. And I must say, I thoroughly enjoyed writing out their dialogue and interaction with each other. I hope you enjoy it too.

Leia’s POV

The Royal Palace of Naboo had greeted the newcomers as soon as Han landed the _Millenium Falcon_ in Theed's Hangar. The Royal Palace was just as Leia last remembered it when she first arrived here only some weeks later after the Battle of Endor to speak with the Royal House of Naboo on behalf of Chancellor Mon Mothma. Leia had met the Queen of Naboo, Sosha Soruna, and asked for Naboo’s support in the establishment of a New Republic from the Rebel Alliance. The Queen was fully supportive of Leia’s offer, claiming that Naboo felt grave shame over Palpatine’s actions over the decades of his tyrannical rule and had agreed to join the Alliance in hopes of eradicating the forces of the Empire from the rest of the galactic worlds. 

That was over three years ago, and now Leia had asked the Queen for yet another favor, a neutral place where both the Empire and the Alliance could meet and discuss further course of action after the final defeat of the late Emperor Palpatine just some weeks ago. The request had come, surprisingly, from her own father, Lord Vader, asking Leia if she would be willing to meet with him and discuss the terms of the treaty. This did not come as a complete shock to Leia, somehow she was expecting to hear something of a similar nature from her own father after learning of his so-called plans in re-establishing the Galactic Senate.

The group, consisting of Leia, Han, Chewie and Mon Mothma, who had insisted she would come to this meeting as a representative of the Rebel Alliance, followed a set of Naboo Royal Guards that greeted them as soon as they landed, leading them through the tunnels that connected the Theed Hangar to the Royal Palace. Leia could never get enough of the beauty the Naboo and its surrounding structures had to offer, eagerly observing its elegant architecture and a harmonious style it created with the nearby nature of the planet, the many domed buildings maintaining a handcrafted aesthetic, mixed with the sleek and mechanical parts of the city. 

The Theed Royal Palace was situated on a tremendous cliff in the city’s central district, offering panoramic views of the sweeping countryside below and beautiful waterfalls, accentuated by the mountainous view off to the distance. The scenery reminded Leia so much of her _home_ that her heart painfully clenched inside her chest and for a moment she had difficulty breathing, staring off to the distance as her eyes glazed with tears. She missed Alderaan so _much_. 

“Leia,” it was Han’s voice that brought her back to the present and she turned her head to give him a small smile.

“I’m fine,” she told him and he gave her a look that told her he hardly believed her blatant lie. She shook her head, silently pleading with him to drop the subject. They were coming up to the sectioned part of the Royal Palace that was reserved solely for this meeting to take place. She had no room for anything else other than politics, and so she schooled her features into that of a senator and the integrated persona of her royal self and entered the designated room with her head held high and an impassive expression on her face.

She was surprised to find the Queen already waiting for them at the forefront of the large room, donned in her full formal attire befitting the Queen of Naboo. Leia instantly bowed her head, followed by Mon Mothma, Han and Chewie doing the same as they arrived behind the two women. There was no sight of Vader and no looming presence of the Dark Side that would always occupy the Sith Lord everywhere he went. Leia was intuitive enough in the Force to recognize his Force signature by now. She was surprised he was not yet here, Vader was never the one to be late.

“Princess Leia Organa,” Sosha Soruna greeted the younger of the women as she came up closer to the party. “It’s a pleasure to meet with you again. Chancellor Mon Mothma,” the Queen nodded her head towards Mothma as the older woman did the same.

“Thank you so much for agreeing to host this meeting in your own home world, Your Highness,” Leia started, straightening herself out from her bowing position. 

“It is my pleasure,” the Queen answered, her brown eyes focused on Leia. “I’m as much interested in this truce as the rest of the galaxy. It is about time for this pointless war to end.”

“I couldn't agree more,” a male’s voice suddenly cut in as the doors opened once more to reveal suitless Vader striding in, donned in simple black clothing similar to what any other Imperial officer would wear, accentuated by a black cape billowing behind him, creating an ethereal effect of a fallen angel as he purposely made his way towards the gathering group. His hair was neatly cut, styled behind his ears and showing off some of the more pronounced scars around the base of his skull and neck. Yet the effect was captivating, enough for everyone in the room to turn and acknowledge the presence of the new Emperor and bow to him. 

Leia did not as she shot him an icy glare, one he returned with a raised brow and a slight shrug of his shoulders. She noted two more people entering the room a few seconds after Vader, one of them being the Commander and the other an Imperial man, one she’d seen quite frequently on the HoloNews in the recent months, most notably found in the presence of Vader. Grand Admiral Firmus Piett. 

“Lord Vader,” it was the Queen that broke the silence in the room, drawing his gaze towards Naboo's monarch. “Or would you rather we call you by your new title, Your Highness?” Leia couldn’t hide the slight shock at the Queen’s blatant audacity thrown in Vader’s face. It seemed she harbored some ill feelings towards the Sith Lord just as much as she did towards the late Emperor Palpatine. 

“That won’t be necessary,” Vader waved his gloved hand, his stance relaxing as he swept his gaze from the Queen towards Leia, stopping her with his perceptive gaze. Something did not feel right about him, something that Leia could not quite place. “Although, I must say, I would rather you address me by my former name.”

“Which is?” Leia shot him a defiant look.

“Anakin Skywalker,” he answered her without missing a beat and if she were to say she was truly shocked would be an understatement, his statement leaving her speechless. 

“As in… _Master_ Skywalker, _General_ Skywalker or…” Mothma was fighting her own inner battle at keeping her shock hidden behind her own senatorial mask.

“Just Anakin,” he replied to her, his gaze still drawn to Leia.

Leia almost scoffed but resolved to just point out the obvious. “So you think you can just drop the pretense of all the atrocities you committed in your _other_ name?” she spat, fury blazing in her brown eyes.

“I never said that,” he answered to her. “My actions cannot be determined by the name alone, nor can they even be erased from people’s memories. I’m simply stating the fact that my _priorities_ have changed, and that my former identity suits me better than the given name of the Sith.”

“What changed?” Leia could not help but ask.

“I know you can feel me in the Force,” he replied. “So tell me, Leia, what is it that you feel from me now? Do you still feel the same foreboding presence of the Dark Side lurking in the corners or is there something else?”

The question caught her off guard and she stammered a few times before she promptly shut her mouth, fighting the urge to seek the truth in the Force. Luke had briefly taught her how to tap into the Force, how to feel the presence of other Force-sensitive beings before his abrupt death. It was how Leia could always feel her father, even in the far reaches of the galaxy, even when they were separated by billions of light years away. Like a never leaving shadow in the dark recesses of her mind, the bond bridged between the father and the daughter inadvertently caused when Vader had used the Force to torture her aboard the Death Star so many years ago. 

But she could not feel that dark pull from him at the moment, and when she looked closer she could feel a sort of balance created from the Light and Dark Side of the Force emitting from the man. A middle ground, a neutral space, a grey spectrum of the Force. She had never met anyone like that before, a feeling she concluded was foreign but not threatening. It was nothing like what Vader had ever felt like, even after Luke’s death and in the subsequent months leading up to Palpatine's ultimate defeat. 

“ _How_?” she breathed, looking at her father with a new wonder in her eyes. He understood her question perfectly.

_Luke_ , he sent back through their flickering bond and she stifled a gasp, his voice startling her as it ghosted through her mind. His answer did nothing to settle her own curiosity. She had so many more questions to ask him. 

“Alright then,” it was Mothma who interrupted the silent bonding between them and Leia instantly averted her gaze, feeling foolish for allowing her emotions to be seen by none other than her own father. “ _Anakin_. You called us here to discuss the terms of your proposed treaty. We would like to hear more details of what that plan of yours entails.”

“Certainly,” Anakin (Leia still had a bitter taste in her mouth at wanting to call him by nothing _but_ Vader) started, as he gestured for the party to assemble by the table in this grandiose room, still dominating everyone’s senses with his presence even without wearing a suit. When everyone had situated themselves he was the only one remaining standing, sweeping everyone gathered in the room with his gaze.

“It was brought to my attention that the Alliance was interested in working alongside the Empire,” he started, slowly circling the room with his hands folded behind his back.

“Under certain conditions,” Mothma interjected. “And the request had come from your own Commander,” she shot the woman in question a look, who up until this point, remained quiet, sitting next to Piett. 

“Yes,” Anakin replied, stopping behind the chair the Commander was occupying. “I was made aware of that call on her part.”

Leia raised her eyebrow, watching the interaction between her father and his love interest as the two glared at one another, silent bickering presumably crossing through their own bond. 

“So you don’t agree with any of what she told us?” Leia cut in, watching her father for any hidden reaction or any disturbances in the Force.

“You want to reinstate the Senate,” he finally drew his gaze from the Commander to focus on Leia. “To ensure there’s a semblance of a democracy still left in the galaxy.”

“What’s wrong with democracy?” Leia hissed, shooting her father a disagreeable look. 

“Nothing, until it falls through because none of the Senators can come up with one decent action or bill to help the people they were elected to help, while bickering and screaming their heads off,” Anakin spat back.

“That’s because the Senate under Palpatine was corrupted,” Leia yelled back, rising herself from her seat. 

“Leia, the Senate was in session for thousands of years before Palpatine took a hold of the office,” Anakin tried to patiently explain his reasoning to her. “There would always be corruption in the Senate. There would always be unfair treatment, determined by the riches the people hold. Someone would always have ulterior motives behind their false pretense to do good. I’ve witnessed it plenty of times growing up on Coruscant. Your own mother was failed by the Senate when she pleaded with them to help her people when the Trade Federation invaded Naboo and ensured a blockade.”

Leia refused to back down. “And do you think leaving the galaxy under the dictatorship rule is any better?” she shot back. “No one should hold such power over people.”

Before she could work herself up and say something she would regret later, Anakin held up his hand in a placating manner. “I’m not here to argue with you Leia. I agree that there should be an alternative solution to all this. I’m here to listen to your ideas on the matter.”

Mothma shot her a warning look and Leia huffed, but conceded. She sat back down in her chair, trying to morph her expression back into the calm persona of a Senator. 

“The galaxy is still unbalanced,” Anakin started, resuming his pacing around the room. “Palpatine had many supporters of his cause, many that were loyal to him. I did not realize the extent of it all until I took the role as the Emperor. It would take months, if not years, to sort through all the ones corresponding to the injustice and corruption circulating throughout the Imperial Palace. Not to mention the disorganization of the Imperial military, and the Inquisitorius Force still present on Coruscant. What the galaxy needs right now is a strong leader, one capable to deal with the potential insurgencies happening within the galaxy’s own governmental system. There are many that hate me, many that despise me, but there is an equal amount of those that are loyal to me.”

“So you're suggesting to remain at the center of the galaxy as a sole ruler,” Sosha Soruna focused Anakin with her piercing gaze. 

“Precisely,” he nodded his head and Leia pursed her lips.

“And what is your time frame?” the Queen continued.

“Indefinitely at the moment,” Anakin answered her.

“Quite honestly, I was expecting to hear more pleasant news,” the Queen replied and a collective murmur of agreement spread across the room. 

“I’m afraid such a solution won’t appease the Alliance,” Mothma cut in.

“The Alliance holds no power - “

“ _Anakin_ ,” it was the Commander’s voice that cut in through whatever spew he was about to lay out, perhaps even preventing what seemed to be inevitable disagreement looming on the horizon. “We talked about this.”

Leia did not miss the way Anakin’s jaw twitched, his hands falling loosely by his sides as he clenched them into fists, shooting the woman a glare as she stared back at him with her own unflinching gaze, not backing down from his intimidating presence but instead meeting it head on. It was quite humorous to watch and Leia suppressed a smirk, knowing that if anyone could place her father in his spot it would be none other than the Commander herself.

She almost certainly heard a low growl coming from her father as he resumed his pacing, his movements more frantic than before. “Perhaps there is a solution to your dilemma, Chancellor, after all,” he started, not looking at anyone in particular.

“If I allow the Senate to be reinstated, then I need my own corroboration that it would act in the interests of its people and not for the benefit of the Senators,” before anyone could cut in, he continued. “That role would fall on your shoulders, Chancellor. You would act as a liaison between the Senate and the Imperial Center. I would grant your Senate a power of your own.”

Mothma raised her eyebrow. “A power of our own?”

“Checks and balances,” Anakin elaborated as he flipped his hand between himself and the Chancellor. “Your position would ensure that my role as an Emperor will not hold all of its political power in one place, instead distributing that power between the two branches. We can finalize the terms of such agreement in more detail if you agree with the initial proposal.”

Mothma took a moment to regard Anakin with her gaze, taking her time coming up with an answer. “I suppose we can work something out once I see the final picture of your proposal written out and presented to the Alliance.”

Anakin nodded his head, content with the Chancellor’s answer.

“What of the military presence on the planets previously occupied by the Empire?” the Queen asked. She was worried about her own planet. About Naboo’s own occupation and demilitarization during Palpatine’s reign that ultimately caused great harm to the planet, leaving it practically defenseless. 

“Unless absolutely necessary,” Anakin answered, finally directing everyone’s attention to Grand Admiral Piett with the flip of his wrist. “Piett will acquire many of my responsibilities as the Supreme Commander of the Imperial Army. I’m afraid the change in rule won’t come with total acceptance from all the worlds. There must be measures taken before they escalate to become serious issues.”

Piett nodded his head. “We are already aware of the few issues arising in the Outer Rim Territories, mainly the Hutts, who were loyal supporters and primary source of slavery to the Empire during Palpatine’s rule.”

Leia practically snorted at that. If only she could strangle another one of those sleazy balls of slime, like she did to Jabba. 

“There are also reports of the suspicious activity happening in the Uncharted Territories,” Piett continued. “We have gathered the data that there could be a potential strike coming from Csilla, home world of Thrawn. The Chiss are angry and want retribution for the unjust ways with which Thrawn was killed. It could become something more than simple rumors, something the Empire must deal with immediately.”

“Not to mention the hunt for the remaining Super Star Destroyers that were part of Palpatine’s Sith Fleet,” Anakin cut in. “I would surmise you would rather not have billions of lives lost if someone were to stumble on one of the unfinished versions of the powerful weaponry and eliminate their opponents in one strike. We managed to find reports of all the factories across the galaxy that were tasked with building these weapons.”

“So you see, Your Highness,” Anakin directed his attention at the Queen. “The Imperial Fleet has far more important and pressing matters to attend to than blockading the worlds and terrorizing its citizens. I need all the military power I can get to squash any potential threats thrown at the Empire.”

“Point taken,” the Queen answered, pursuing her colored lips. 

“I would very much like to have Naboo's support in my upcoming endeavors,” Anakin suddenly announced, shocking everyone in the room with his declaration. “If you would allow that, Your Highness.”

The Queen’s perfectly ornamented and drawn face displayed her own astonishment at Anakin’s request. “In what way do you expect Naboo to support you? We don’t have any military presence, you’re aware of that as you were the one that ensured our planet was dissolved of the Royal Naboo Security Forces - “

“I want you to appoint my daughter as your representative of Naboo,” Leia’s face slacked in complete shock as her father’s request. 

“You can’t just - “ she tried to interject.

“Leia, I’ve helped destroy the one thing I know you cherished the most,” Anakin sighed, his voice taking a slow and measured tone and she could have swore she felt a hint of regret flowing through their bond. “I can never take it back, nor can I ever restore your home world your adoptive parents had given you. But this was your mother’s world, one she cherished with her dying breath. Padme would have been - “ his voice cracked and he stopped himself, taking a deep breath. Leia’s never seen her father break like that at the mention of her birth mother. Come to think of it, he never breached that subject with her, not until now. She wondered why.

“I suppose if the Senate is to be reinstated then Naboo would need to appoint its Senator to represent our planet,” the Queen supplied, breaking the uncomfortable silence as she directed her gaze at Leia. “It would be an honor to have you represent us, Princess Organa of Alderaan.”

Leia felt like she was put on the spot, her eyes wide as she stared at the Queen. She would have never entertained the idea of being a Naboo’s Senator but somewhere in the depths of her soul she sometimes wished she could belong somewhere else, be someone other than the pitied Princess of Alderaan with no people and no planet to guide. And she would have lied if she said that she never entertained the idea of learning more of her birth mother, of following in her footsteps as she watched clips after clips of old material on the famous Senator Amidala late at night in the comfort of her home back when she was still a Princess and still had a home. 

She felt Han kick her under the table and she flinched, shooting him a dry look before clearing her throat. “I would only accept the position if it’s a fair vote amidst your people, Your Highness,” she looked at her father. “I don’t want this position to be tainted by your hand, _Anakin_. If the people choose me as their representative, then I’d gladly take that role.”

“Very well,” he conceded. “Is there anything else anyone here would like to address or have we all come to the terms of our agreement with each other?”

Mothma looked at everyone in the room, her gaze briefly meeting with Leia's. “Nothing at the moment,” she finally answered. “I’ll be expecting the finalized terms of our agreement with you,” she was addressing Anakin as he nodded his head.

“It shall be done,” he voiced and then when everyone was getting ready to start heading out their respective ways, he slowly made his way towards Leia just as she was saying her farewells to the Queen.

She shot him a look, one that he caught with his own as he pushed her aside. “Leia, a word with you,” he told her just as she crossed her arms over the chest, giving him a silent treatment as he towered over her. “ _Please_ ,” he hissed when she refused to respond to him. 

“What do you want?” she finally sighed.

“Not here,” his eyes shifted towards Han who was glaring at him across the room. “Can your _entourage_ wait a moment?”

She huffed. “Han is _not_ my entourage,” she hissed. “Maybe if you actually tried to be pleasant for ones you’d find him to be quite charming.”

“I highly doubt that,” Anakin growled, eyeing the man with his side eye.

She refrained from rolling her eyes. “Then make it quick.”

He turned his gaze towards her. “Follow me.”

___

“Is there a reason why you dragged me all the way out here?” Leia asked, eyeing the looming temple ahead of them as Anakin led her through the quiet streets of Theed, nearing the outskirts of the city, that happened to be a serene and quiet place compared to the rest of the city. She did not even bring a blaster and now she wished more than ever that she did. Even if she could not feel the Dark Side of the Force radiating off her father, that did not mean that he was still any less dangerous than his Sith self. The hilt of his lightsaber was glinting ever so often in the sunrays as he moved ahead of Leia with purposeful strides. 

Her question was soon answered when she realized where Anakin had taken her. In front of her stood what appeared to be her mother’s mausoleum, the final resting place of Padme Amidala, former Queen and then Senator of the planet Naboo. Leia stifled a gasp and then whirled around to face her father, staring at him with wide eyes.

“Why did you bring me here?”

Anakin faced her, an odd expression crossing over his face. “You’ve never ventured out here, have you?”

She shook her head, her heart painfully clenching inside her chest. He stood still for a moment, as though debating with himself if he should really enter the tomb, and then with a shuddering breath walked inside the vault, leaving Leia all by herself as she stared at her mother’s stone statue overlooking her resting place. She only hesitated for a moment, and then followed after Anakin, finding him at the center of the spacious mausoleum looking down at a rectangular sarcophagus decorated with the stylized emblem of Naboo. A soft-colored stained glass window was behind him, showing the image of the deceased Padme Amidala. She looked absolutely beautiful. 

“I’ve only ever visited your mother once,” he murmured, brushing the stone with his gloved fingers with a tender touch. “I couldn’t bring myself to come here ever again, until now.”

Leia slowly came up to the other side of her mother’s sarcophagus. “And why didn’t you?”

He shifted, swallowing a lump in his throat. “Because I couldn’t face the grief and the remorse for causing her death.”

Leia carefully watched her father, his face stricken with guilt. “You regret it,” she announced, surprised even at herself at how emotionless she sounded.

He lifted his eyes at her. “Of course I regret it,” he started. “I’ve regretted it ever since I found out that she died.”

She thinned her lips. “My mother died because of _you_ . Luke died because of _you_. Should I continue listing things that you either destroyed or killed - “

“I know you hate me,” he interrupted her, his gaze hardening. “You’ve harbored that hate for so long. But please listen to me when I tell you this. A very wise Jedi once told me that hate leads to suffering. It’s a path to the Dark Side, Leia. Be mindful of that, you have the Force and you are untrained and easily swayed by your emotions.”

“I did not come here for you to spew your lectures at me,” she spat back. 

“They are not lectures,” he sighed. “They are my own mistakes I’ve once made in my life. I’m only trying to steer you away from doing the same thing. Take it as a suggestion.”

Leia scoffed. “Thank you but no thank you.” She averted her gaze from him, settling in on the stained glass window of her mother, looking at her features with renewed interest if only to keep her gaze away from the man still staring at her from his spot. “You said once that I looked like a spitting image of my mother,” she finally said out loud, startling Anakin from his own thoughts.

“I did,” he confirmed.

“Then why didn’t you recognize me then?” she turned her gaze back to him. That question had been nagging at her ever since she found out that Darth Vader was her biological father when Luke told her the truth before he set out to confront him and the Emperor. She could never understand how her own father could not recognize his own child while subjecting her body through countless hours of constant excruciating torture. Perhaps that was the part that stung the most. The fact that she was pushed to the side and discarded until the end, while Vader was so fixated on capturing Luke. She would never admit it out loud to anyone, and certainly not to her father, that she was hiding her pain behind the heavy curtain of hate that she liked to put out to the front of her other emotions and feelings. 

“I didn’t know,” he whispered. “I was so consumed by the Dark Side that I couldn’t see a thing. I would have killed Luke too, if it wasn’t for Obi-Wan stepping in and sacrificing his life to save you both. I was blinded by rage and hate. I was in a dark place, Leia. Had been for the last two decades before I learned the truth that I had a son.”

She thinned her lips, regarding her father through her narrowed eyes. “If the Dark Side can have such a strong hold on someone, then how did you manage to finally break free?” she was referring to his apparent lack of the menacing presence that usually accompanied him everywhere he went. 

Anakin’s lips twitched into a ghost of a smile. “It was Luke. He helped me understand.” 

Leia was confused by her father’s choice of words; he mentioned Luke once to her at the meeting but she didn’t have the chance to ask him more. And now she was just as baffled by it and was about to finally question him but was startled when he reached for his belt and unclipped what Leia presumed to be his lightsaber only for her eyes to widen when she realized she had seen that weapon before, being wielded by none other than Luke. Anakin was holding it in front of her in his palm, giving her a silent permission to touch the weapon. She hesitated then reached forward, wrapping her fingers around the hilt of the weapon with trepidation, expecting for something to happen when she touched it. She was mildly disappointed when nothing did as she clutched the lightsaber in her hand.

“Huh,” she mused. “It’s much heavier than I thought it would be.”

Something akin to recognition crossed over Anakin’s face, one that Leia did not miss with her perceptive stare. “What?”

“Nothing,” he cleared his throat and she focused him with her glare. “It was just something similar your mother once told me,” he trailed off. 

She tried placing the weapon back into his hand. “You can keep it,” he told her.

“No,” she refused with vehemence. “I want no part of this.”

“Leia, you need to be trained - “ he tried arguing with her.

“I certainly do not!” she exclaimed with indignation in her voice.

“Your lack of training can make you vulnerable to your enemy,” he tried again. 

“I was fine for the past twenty six years of my life,” she argued back. 

A vein popped at the side of Anakin’s face but he refrained from voicing his displeasure with her. “Obi-Wan thought as you did when he refused to train Luke,” he finally started and Leia did not miss the reservation in her father’s voice at the mention of Obi-Wan. “And he paid dearly for it when I spent the last years hunting for the boy and trying to lure him to the Dark Side. A foolish endeavor, I know,” he noticed her face and the look she was giving him.

“What I’m trying to tell you, Leia, is that you have my blood and my power running through your veins,” she almost sneered, she hated being reminded that she was connected to this man through blood. “It’s a powerful tool that can be harnessed and used against you. Let me train you the basics. I won’t teach you the Dark Side, or preach you the Jedi Code. I just want you to have control over your own powers.”

She was still unconvinced as she shoved the weapon back into his hand. “You’re not yet strong enough to see Luke,” and then she froze as she stared at Anakin with wide eyes.

“What?” she choked. 

“Luke came to see me,” he was watching her closely. 

“ _Came to see you?_ ” she rephrased, she was having a hard time wrapping that notion around her head. 

“In a form of a Force ghost,” he nodded his head. He elaborated further when he saw the look she was giving him. “An entity with the soul and essence of a deceased Force-sensitive. Luke cannot yet appear to you, your ability to see or hear him relies on your own strength in the Force.”

She drew an intake of a sharp breath. “So you’re saying if I were to train… I would be able to see him too?”

“Precisely.”

She wished more than anything to see Luke again. She didn’t realize she was shaking, so she had to stabilize herself on holding on to her mother’s sarcophagus. She felt a lump forming in her throat, her body trying to form tears. She bit her lip; there was no way in kriffing hell she would let her father see her cry. She never let him witness them when he was torturing her and she wasn’t about to let him see them now just because she missed Luke with all her being. 

“I - “ she had to clear her throat. “I suppose that’s a viable reason,” she wasn’t yet giving him a definitive answer. And she knew he understood her perfectly when he nodded his head as he picked up the lightsaber and clipped it back to his belt. 

“Well then, if you’re ready,” he straightened himself out, sweeping one last look at the stained glass window of Padme’s depiction before turning on his heels and heading out.

There was something else that was bugging her. “You won’t expect me to call _her_ my new step-mother, will you?”

Anakin stopped mid-step, whirling his head around as he gave Leia the most perplexed look she’d ever seen him wear. “ _What_?”

“I mean, that would be really weird,” she shrugged, scrunching her nose. 

“What are you talking about?” he asked, his voice strained.

“Oh, come on,” she huffed, rolling her eyes this time. “She’s the same age as me. I would rather _not_ have to address her with that title.”

It finally dawned on him what it was Leia was talking about. “Why would you think I would be marrying her in the first place?”

She focused her father with a glare and with a huff leaving her lips she stalked up to him. “That’s what people do, right? Especially since she’s carrying _your_ child.”

He balked, reeling his head backwards from Leia’s forwardness. “I - you - “ it seemed he was at loss for words. “You _knew_ about it?”

“Of course I knew,” she almost laughed, seeing him being so out of his element was quite amusing to watch. “I was there when the droid announced her pregnancy.”

He watched her, his expression unreadable. “And how does that make you feel?”

“Besides the fact that it’s still quite appalling to wrap my head around that anyone would actually want to _sleep_ with you?” The glare he gave her indicated quite well that he was less than pleased with her choice of wording but she did not care. “But I suppose I’m happy.”

“Happy?” he sounded unconvinced.

“I’ve given it some thought,” she nodded her head. “Pregnancy is supposed to be a beautiful thing. And I wouldn’t mind having another half-sibling to take care of. Even if that child is sired by _you_ ,” she never thought of Luke any different when she found out that Darth Vader was their father, and she wouldn’t do it to the child that was yet to be born. Children had no control of who their parents were, they shouldn’t be blamed for the mistakes their parents caused. And this child was no exception.

Anakin was stunned speechless. “Although, I must add,” she focused her glare on her father. “Maybe next time _try_ to use some form of protection? I would rather not have any more of your offsprings causing havoc in the galaxy.”

The face he made was worth recording if she had the holo camera. He stuttered a few times, his face flushed as he tried to formulate his words. “I don’t appreciate your tone with me,” he finally managed to say.

She raised her brow. “Well then, get used to it,” she flashed him a feral grin. “Cause you’ll be hearing it from me for the duration of her pregnancy.”

She heard him mutter something under his breath, sounding very much like the Huttese that she heard Luke spew a few times when he was either angry or frustrated with something. Anakin did not respond, practically running out of the mausoleum with his long strides, his shoulders stiff, the base of his neck red and blotchy from the discomfort and mortification she felt rolling off her father in waves. She smirked, knowing he could feel her triumph and gleeful excitement at embarassing the former Sith Lord but refrained from commenting on it as he stalked away from her. 

_Serves him right_ , she thought.

And before she made her way back to the Royal Palace, she stopped, turning around to once more give her mother’s place of burial a proper look. Her gaze swept past the stained glass of the window, lingering on her mother’s face.

“I promise I’ll be back,” she whispered. She would come here again when she was alone. She had a lot of things to tell her mother and she needed lots of time to do just that. And if she were to become the new Senator of Naboo, she knew she would be spending a lot more time on this planet, which would give her all the time she needed to catch her mother up on her life. 

Because even she could not deny the lingering presence of her mother’s touch in this place, enveloping her senses in warm and sad waves. It was comforting, enough for Leia to smile, knowing her mother was here with her, always.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoever asked me to write out Leia chewing out Anakin for not using birth control, here you go because I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to ridicule him and embarrass him to the point of running away from Leia xD
> 
> This was a bittersweet chapter to write, and I hope I captured Leia's perspective well enough to not seem too OC. She hasn't forgiven Vader/Anakin and she never will. But that doesn't mean she can't have civil conversation with him. 
> 
> One more chapter to go to conclude Part Five and then the Epilogue! ~


	59. All your heart.

(four months later)

You found yourself wandering the halls of the Imperial Center, past the chaos of all the people running around in haste, all in preparation for the big event that was happening later that day. The Rebel Alliance and the Galactic Empire had finally agreed with the terms of the peace treaty that would officially put an end to the Galactic Civil War. What everyone called to be the Galactic Concordance. It was to be signed by the Chancellor Mon Mothma, also recently elected as the Head of the newly re-established Galactic Senate, and the former Supreme Commander of the Imperial Forces, Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Vader, now simply known as the Emperor Skywalker. It was the most anticipated event in the history of the Galactic Republic and the Galactic Empire combined.

You soon found a secluded spot on one of the balconies overlooking the vast might of the Empire down below, watching with some detached fascination at the procession of thousands of stormtroopers marching through the main streets of Coruscant, heading straight for the Imperial Center. The treaty would finally put an end to the illegal recruitment and mobilization of the stormtrooper forces and thus the abandonment of the numerous Imperial Academies scattered across the galaxy. Instead, the choice to join the Imperial Military Forces would be a willing choice, one offered across the span of all the planets, including those of non-human races. The prejudice and ill-treatment of the non-human races that first started with Palpatine’s absolute rule, was no more. 

You couldn’t help but think of your vision, back when you were still on Vjun, meditating with Vader. The one that showed you your place in all this, and your future. The same identical one you were relieving this very moment. Palpatine could have  _ never _ created that vision of yours, you knew that much. Which meant that he was only ever shown one side of the future’s outcome while the Force showed you both. Because right at this moment, you were wearing that expensive dark dress you saw in your vision, one you couldn’t fathom wearing when you first saw it, but that now had become almost a daily routine living in the Imperial Center by Anakin’s side. And you couldn’t even find anything to complain about. Your first few months of your pregnancy were the tough ones and you found yourself wearing more of the loose-fitting clothing to accommodate your child’s growth and your body changes. 

You absentmindedly played with the expensive jewelry adorning your neck, the artificial climate of Coruscant and the wind softly caressing the wisps of your hair placed in a simple, yet stylish hairdo as you leaned your body forward against the railing of the balcony, your gaze sweeping over the distant skyscrapers of Coruscant. It was peaceful here, the never ending traffic up above and the noise of many speeders and other hovercrafts never quite reaching down to where you were, the only other sound was your own breathing and the distant cries and yells of someone in the building behind you in the chaos of the preparations. 

Then you felt it. A slight fluttering in your stomach that you’d started feeling for the past week and you gasped, instantly setting your hand atop a bump that was more noticeable now that you were nearing the end of your fifth month of pregnancy. You felt it again, more insistent this time and you smiled. Your son was being quite active today, perhaps just as excited and nervous about the upcoming event, or perhaps simply wanting to say hello to you. You were so engrossed in your own thoughts that you didn’t even realize who else had joined you on the balcony until he was right beside you.

“What’s wrong?” Anakin’s voice sounded concerned, with a hint of desperation underlying his tone, and when you lifted your head you saw him staring at your hand still pressed against your bulging stomach, his gaze dark, worry radiating off of him in waves. He was being awfully more paranoid about your pregnancy than you were, insisting on constant medical check-ups and being particularly more pushy about you taking bed rests, even going as far as assigning guards to your care that followed you around like hawks in the first weeks following the defeat of Palpatine. You quickly let him know how much you  _ despised _ being handled like a fragile doll, putting up a fight against him and even threatening him to a duel until finally, he conceded but not before you two set up some rules of agreement that you were both satisfied with. 

“Are you in pain?” he continued, his gaze flickering to your eyes. “Perhaps you should forego this even all together and instead return to your quarters and I’ll send a medic - “

“No,” you firmly told him and then sighed. “I’m fine, really.”

“Then what - “

“ _ Force _ , Anakin,” you refrained from rolling your eyes. “I haven’t felt this fine in weeks. Really, your own anxiety does me more harm than anything. You’re projecting it on to me.”

His face faltered and you instantly felt bad. He  _ was _ trying, but sometimes his overbearing personality and his possessiveness mixed with his fierce need to protect was just too much for you. Especially when your own hormones were all over the place and you were set off by anything that you deemed was going to tick you off. You were honestly quite surprised that you hadn’t killed him off by now, either with your own lightsaber or with your sharp tongue that was sharper than any blade. 

“It’s just the baby,” you started and then grabbed his gloved hand, just then noticing that he was wearing his old suit, minus the helmet. “What’s the suit for?”

He hadn’t worn that thing in weeks, or not that you knew of. You hadn’t seen much of him following the meeting with the Queen of Naboo. You knew he was busy, always on the run, either with his own crew aboard the  _ Executor _ , trying to quiet some of the small insurgencies happening across the galaxy from the old factions that were still loyal to Palpatine’s cause, or dealing with what was left over of the Inquisitors’ Force, their numbers now significantly more diminished after the stunt you pulled in the coup against Thrawn. They were still a threat, one Anakin did not take lightly, as he hunted down the remaining ones that were able to escape. You knew he was holding them prisoners, undecided of their fates as of yet. You didn’t condone his tendencies to want to kill, but you knew if he had to make the choice between the safety of his family or the danger the Inquisitors posed, you wouldn’t blame him if he killed them all. It was up to the Inquisitors to decide their allegiance in the cause. But then again, Anakin would never let them freely roam the galaxy unchecked, being that they were the followers of the Dark Side, brainwashed by Palpatine himself. Something had to be done about their Force powers, and he had yet to decide what.

“A symbol that the war is finally over,” Anakin replied, answering your earlier question. You tilted your head to the side, his answer not making much sense.

“I will take it off before signing the treaty,” he elaborated. “It’s all for the dramatics and the meaning behind my actions. Leia’s idea, not mine,” he rolled his eyes and you smiled. 

You felt the fluttering again so you placed his hand atop your stomach. “Can you feel it?” you asked, watching his expression morphing into wonder when his gaze flickered down to his hand laying on your stomach with yours lightly pressed on top of his. “He’s kicking. It’s very slight but he’s been doing it for the past week now.”

“I -  _ yes _ ,” his voice was but a whisper and then the baby kicked particularly hard and you flinched, knowing that Anakin must have felt  _ that _ one for sure. “I can feel him,” he smiled and so did you, watching his expression. He truly could be so different at times and you wondered if he used to be this way when he was younger, before converting himself to the Dark Side. It didn’t matter to you in the slightest though, because you loved learning new things about him that you didn’t notice before. Or perhaps they were simply clouded by his version of Vader and now more amplified that he had abandoned the Dark Side.

“You didn’t tell me,” he raised his head when the flutterings stopped. 

“You were gone,” you pointed out. 

“You could have sent a hologram,” his voice had a hint of accusation in it and you sighed.

“You were busy,” and before he could start arguing with you, you continued. “I didn’t want to bother you with such insignificant matters - “

“They are  _ not _ insignificant,” he argued and then squeezed your hand in his, drawing your gaze down to his hand. 

“I suppose not,” you didn’t want him to see your eyes, and see the look in them. This was a touchy subject for you, one you kept to yourself ever since he asked you to stay back while he continued on with his duties as an Emperor. Who were you to him anyways? A woman that was simply thrown his way by none other than Palpatine, intertwining your fates without you two ever knowing of it until it was too late and by then you were already pregnant and you could do nothing about it. Of course he was obligated to care for you, he felt responsible for what happened but that didn’t make things any easier for you.

“Hey,” he was trying to draw your attention back to him. 

“You know there are better prosthetics out there than these rusty old things,” you tugged on his hand. “You have all the money in the galaxy to get yourself some new ones.”

“These ones are just as fine,” he argued back.

“Yeah, well, the new ones actually have skin on them and apparently enhanced sensory motors. You’d be able to actually  _ feel _ things instead of just relying on pressure as your guidance.”

“I don’t need new ones,” he was starting to sound annoyed.

“I think the baby would prefer more organic touch than - “ you trailed off, your voice hitching and of course, Anakin had noticed.

“What is it?” he asked, trying to draw your gaze back to him.

“Nothing,” you lied and then bit the inside of your lip, knowing full well he knew you were lying. Sometimes you hated having that Force Bond with him, because you couldn’t hide anything from him nor he from you. 

“I thought we discussed this,” he slowly started, fighting with himself to remain calm. “No more lies. Only the truth.”

It was something you both agreed on soon after arriving back to Coruscant from Exegol. You were still quite angry with him at that time for erasing your memory, and you let him know just how much you were displeased with his actions. You had told him that he broke your trust by keeping that a secret from you, regardless of how much he thought he was doing you a favor by protecting you from the truth. You told him the relationship couldn’t be built on lies and that for you two to work, you had to be honest with one another. So he begged and pleaded with you, and apologized over and over again until you’d forgiven him and then he took off, chasing after his own responsibilities while leaving you all alone on Coruscant, only coming to see you a few times in the span of the last four months. You would have lied to yourself if you said you weren’t bothered by his lack of presence or how  _ small _ you felt compared to everything else that was going on around you. He was a kriffing  _ Emperor _ , for kriff’s sake, while you were  _ nothing _ . 

“Look at me.”

You sighed and then lifted your head to find his gaze boring into you.

“Tell me what’s wrong,” he lifted his other hand to gently trail his fingers alongside your cheek. The moment was broken by a sudden loud sound coming from down below on the streets and you glanced down to see what the commotion was all about. Chancellor Mon Mothma with the rest of the survived members of the Alliance’s High Command had arrived, along with Leia Organa, the newly elected Senator of Naboo.

“I think that’s your cue that you should be going,” you smiled at him.

“Not until you first tell me what’s bothering you,” his gaze was hard, trained just on you.

“Anakin, I hardly think it’s the right time to worry about me,” you laughed. “Today is the big day and I wouldn’t want to be the reason why the Emperor was made late to his own big event. Think about all the stories and gossip the newsmen would - “

“I don’t care about them,” he interrupted you. “I only care about you.”

You flushed but kept your own gaze even on him. “Don’t say that. The whole galaxy has been waiting for this moment. You don’t want Leia to be chasing after you, because we both know she will and it won’t be a pretty sight.”

“The galaxy can wait,” he scoffed.

“No, it can’t,” you argued back. “You’re the Emperor, you have responsibility to uphold - “

“Is that what this is all about?” he suddenly interrupted you, his eyes narrowing. “My responsibilities as an Emperor?”

“That’s not - “

“Because I’ve been neglecting you?” he continued and you flushed, only confirming his words with your body’s own reaction to the truth in his words. 

“That’s - I understand it’s inevitable,” you hurriedly tried to explain yourself without giving him the wrong idea. “You are busy with your duty to the Empire. It only makes sense that you wouldn’t have any extra time and you don’t owe me anything - “

“I owe you  _ everything _ ,” he tugged on your hand, the action so sudden that you stumbled in your step and toppled towards him and then both of his hands were enveloping you in a tight hug as he placed a tender kiss to your lips, silencing your startled cries with his mouth. You couldn’t deny how much you missed  _ this _ , how much you craved his touch. You pressed yourself closer to him, as much as your stomach allowed you to in your current position, hooking your fingers through the loops of his belt to bring yourself closer to his body, kissing him back with a fervent zestfulness. You let out a slight whimper when he finally let you both breathe, his eyes burning with passion you felt coursing through your own veins as he gazed at you.

“You gave me  _ everything _ ,” he repeated. “I’m sorry if you felt like I was neglecting you, I never meant to make you feel that way - “

“You really don’t need to apologize to me,” you tried to make him stop his unnecessary apology.

“ _ No _ ,” his voice was harsh. “I know what it seems like to you.”

“I really don’t - “

“You think I don’t love you. You think I only care about the future of our child - “

“And now you’re jumping to conclusions that have absolutely  _ nothing _ to do with this,” your voice was just as harsh, silencing him with your outburst. “ _ Force _ , Anakin, it’s nothing like that at all. I just - “ you paused, trying to collect your thoughts.

“Just  _ what _ ?” he was being impatient but then again, this  _ was _ Anakin. You couldn’t change the way he was behaving sometimes. Once he set his mind onto something, it was quite hard to talk him out of it. He truly believed what he’d just told you.

“I just missed you,” you admitted. “I know it’s stupid but sometimes I feel like you forget about me now that the war is finally over and I’m not there right next to you to irritate you out of your mind,” you couldn’t help but smile, recollecting all those times you were getting on his nerves.

“You’re wrong,” he replied, his hands ghosting over your back. “I think about you non-stop. I can’t  _ not _ think about you. Sometimes it’s driving me insane and all I want is to take my ship and come straight to you.”

“But you can't,” you reminded him. 

“I could, but it was  _ your _ idea to suggest I become an Emperor,” he gave you a pointed look. 

You laughed. “Of course, it’s all  _ my _ fault.” 

“Not all of it,” he smirked.

“You really should be going,” you reminded him, detaching yourself from his arms around you. “You don’t want to make the Chancellor wait and for her to come up with yet another term to this treaty.”

“She won’t,” he rolled his eyes. He’d already agreed to so much of what the Chancellor was asking of him, and if it weren’t for Leia, he would have probably killed the poor woman by now, if not for the lengthy terms she was laying out in front of him, then for the sheer amount of stubbornness the woman possessed that rivaled his and Leia’s own combined. 

“I’ll see you at the banquet then,” you started heading back but before you could make even two steps, his hand was back on your arm, and he twirled you around to face him.

“Anakin - “

“Marry me.”

Your eyes widened as you stared speechless at him, your mind going blank for a moment as you tried processing his words. You couldn't have heard what you thought you just heard, right?

“I’m sorry?” you asked, staring into his eyes, his expression quite serious.

“Marry me,” he repeated and you knew that this time you  _ definitely _ heard him correctly. 

“Anakin, where had that come from?” you asked the first thing that jumped to your mind. “Are you joking?”

“Do I look like I’m joking?” he asked you, his eyes narrowing just slightly. No, he definitely did  _ not _ look like he was joking. And he wasn’t the type to just throw something like that out in the open either. He was certainly being quite serious.

“But…  _ why _ ?” later he would be teasing you about your reaction to his proposal, how much in shock you were that you were questioning his own decision. But now, you were too astounded to understand why he would be asking you to marry him.

“I didn’t realize it would be  _ this _ hard,” he muttered. “Do I need any other reason except the fact that I want to marry the woman I love?”

“I don’t know?” you balked. “Do you?”

He stiffened. “Does that mean you don’t want to marry me?”

You stared at him with wide eyes. “No - I mean  _ yes _ \- I mean,” you took a deep breath, trying to calm down your sudden trepidation. “I  _ do _ .”

He raised his eyebrow at that. “I want to marry you,” you whispered, heat coloring your cheeks at your sudden shyness.

He smiled, that radiant, brilliant smile of his that lighted his whole face, making your breath catch in your throat as you gazed at his stunning features. He was truly beautiful to you in that moment. 

“That’s great,” he tugged you closer, placing another soft kiss to your lips. “Really great,” he couldn’t stop smiling at you.

“It is,” you whispered, lost in his gaze, swimming in the ocean of his blue eyes.

“I love you,” he told you, trailing his fingers along your face and you hummed, a warm fuzzy feeling spreading through your body at his words. “I’m sorry if I ever gave you the impression that I didn’t.”

“You didn’t - “

“I was selfish,” he interrupted you, placing his hands on each side of your face to trap you in his bottomless gaze. “I didn’t think about your own feelings and how I must have hurt you.”

“Anakin, that’s alright,  _ really _ \- “

“Don’t try to pretend otherwise,” he gently reminded you, his fingers rubbing small circles on your skin. “I know you missed me more than you were letting on. And I know how much you thought that you meant nothing to me.”

You let out a shaky breath, his words leaving you speechless. So he knew all along how you must have felt. How your own insecurities were eating at your insides. How you spent countless nights alone in the confines of your own bedchambers, softly crying and feeling miserable for wanting Anakin to be by your side. You blamed your hormones, and you still did, but that feeling never quite evaporated from the depths of your heart, only making you distance yourself further from him, creating a safe bubble around you that everything was alright while you pretended to be happy and unbothered by your own insecurities.

You didn’t realize you were crying until he swept your tears with the flick of his fingers still resting on the sides of your face. You felt foolish for letting him see your weakness and you tried to step back only for him to growl his disapproval as he placed one of his hands on the small of your back. 

“Don’t ever hide from me,” he murmured, pressing you closer to him. “Don’t ever feel like you have to suppress your true feelings in my presence. I can always feel them, even if we are millions of light years apart from each other. I will  _ always _ feel you in the Force.”

You choked back on the sob, fighting the trembles in your body while Anakin held you in his arms. It was a futile attempt really. You knew your Force Bond left nothing to the imagination, all of your feelings wide open for Anakin to see and feel them just like he was an open book to you. You felt the sincerity in his words, the truth behind his meaning and his utmost and unconditional love pouring out through your bond, making you feel dizzy as you drank in the warmth, your heart happily beating inside your chest. You truly felt loved.

“I promise I will be a loving husband to you,” he continued in that same quiet but insistent tone. “And a devoted father to our son.”

You smiled at him through your tears, nuzzling your cheek against the palm of his hand.

“And let the Force be a judge of my actions if I were to ever hurt you again,” he murmured, his gaze hard and unwavering looking down at you.

“Don’t say that,” you whispered, your voice muffled by the thick tears you were trying to supress. 

Anakin shook his head. “It’s the truth. I want you to know just how much you mean to me. I won’t hurt you ever again, I promise.”

“I know,” you nodded your head, bringing your face closer to his to plant a soft kiss to his lips, silencing his further attempts at trying to apologize to you or give you more of his promises. As long as he was by your side, you were going to be okay. 

He broke the kiss, looking at you with amazement and a slight mischief lurking in his eyes. “My Empress,” he murmured and only then did you realize what it all meant when you agreed to marry him. Your eyes widened and he noticed the look, busting out laughing at the expression on your face that you were left stunned looking at him while he tried to control his sudden fit of uncontrollable laughter unbefitting that of his imposing image as an Emperor. 

“I don’t - I’m not - I don’t think that’s - “ you kept stammering over your words, your mouth suddenly feeling like cotton while you tried to formulate a response.

“You dragged me into this,” he pointed out and you shot him a glare, tears all but forgotten as a new sense of apprehension settled over you at the prospect of becoming a central figure in Anakin’s Empire. “It’s only fair that I drag you into this with me. Besides, Leia agreed that it would be prudent for you to become the Head of the Imperial Cabinet in my absence, acting as my liaison. I’m afraid I will be absent from the Imperial Center much more in the upcoming months than I’d like to be. I will need you to take on my role as the head of the governing agency in tandem with the Chancellor’s requests.” 

“Anakin,” you exclaimed. “You can’t expect me to do all this - “

“You don’t have to agree,” he murmured, silencing your outburst with the calm tone of his voice. “But you’re the only one I can trust with that task. You and Leia. And despite what you think, you are rather good with politics, much better than I ever was and will ever be.”

You blankly stared at him, your mind whirling with the sudden news. Anakin sighed and then trailed his fingers along your back, drawing your attention back to him.

“I won’t force it on you if you don’t agree or don’t want any part of it,” he started. “But the fact will remain the same that once we are married, you  _ are _ going to become the Empress, if not in power then at least in the name. I don’t want it to be a secret that you are my wife, or that you carry our child and the future of the Empire. I want to claim our son as  _ mine _ before he’s born. I want him to be the legitimate heir to the throne. I don’t ever want there to be any misunderstandings that he’s my blood and you’re his mother.”

You were still silent, still staring at Anakin with wide eyes and he sighed. “And no, I didn’t ask you to marry me because of those reasons. I asked you because I love you. Everything else just comes as an additional… inclusion,” he trailed off, expecting to hear some sort of answer from you.

“I-I don’t know what to say,” you finally managed to stammer. “This is just a lot to take in…”

He nodded his head. “I understand. I will give you all the time you need to come up with an answer. And if you want, you can always talk with Leia.”

That drew your attention back to him as you gazed at him with a surprised look written on your face. “Wait a minute… are you trying to tell me that Leia was on to it?” you couldn’t help yourself as you shrieked. 

“Oh, you have no idea,” he smirked, barely helping himself as he rolled his eyes. “She was on to me for the past few months about it, nagging me non-stop.”

“So she knew about your marriage proposal?” you asked with a flabbergasted expression on your face.

“She did,” Anakin nodded his head.

“And she’s... _ okay _ with it?” you couldn’t help but ask. 

“She is,” he confirmed with a nod of his head. “It seems she holds you in a high regard. And she genuinely likes you.”

You couldn’t describe what you were feeling at that moment. “That’s…” you trailed off, seeking out the right word to describe your reaction to finding out about Leia’s apparent involvement in Vader’s proposal and also their own plotting on the matters of the Empire behind your back or you ever knowing about any of this. You settled for the next best thing that came to your mind when thinking of Leia. “That’s just  _ weird _ .”

Anakin gave you a funny look. “Yeah, she said the same exact thing to me a few months back along with other things.”

“What other things?” you narrowed your eyes.

“Trust me, you  _ don’t _ want to know,” he shrugged and you knew that at some point you’d have to ask Leia about what he meant because that was something Anakin was obviously trying to avoid talking with you about by the slight blush coloring his cheeks and the way the corners of his lips twitched.

“Alright,” you conceded for now and Anakin relaxed, a small smile gracing his lips as he gazed at you.

“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered, making you blush from the intensity of his gaze, his fingers trailing down your back as he followed the curve of your bottom, gathering the plush skirts of your dress in his hand. You only realized his true intentions until you saw the fire in his eyes and the undeniable spike of arousal through your bond.

“Anakin,  _ no _ ,” you firmly told him, having enough willpower to break free from his hold. “You must head back, it won’t be long before people will start looking for you.”

He gave you a look, a slight pout gracing his lips at your blatant rejection. You almost laughed out loud but remained stoic as you focused him with your own unwavering gaze. 

He finally sighed, a slight roll of his eyes as he straightened himself out. “If you really wish so,” he shrugged and you quirked your eyebrow at his reluctance to leave you but not before he smirked, shooting you a playful look, one you haven’t yet seen on his face. “But I do expect some sort of compensation for my efforts later tonight.”

You flushed and he laughed, a soft sound leaving his lips as he adjusted his hair that had fallen over his eyes before he headed for the exit from the balcony. “I’ll be waiting for you,  _ my love _ ,” and then he disappeared behind the doors, leaving you staring at the empty spot with the small smile on your face and the fluttering of your heart from the happiness that finally settled over you at the prospect of what tonight would hold for both of you.

It didn’t come as a surprise to you when you later learned that Anakin indeed ended up being late to his own meeting, much to Leia’s own dismay and the Chancellor's silent fury. You couldn’t even hold it against him. After all, he was late because of  _ you _ . And you didn’t fault him for it, instead you smiled as you met his gaze across the room, sharing the warmth of love that radiated across your bond.

You loved that man with all your heart.

The Emperor of the galaxy. The father of your child. And your future husband.

**End of Part Five**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You're probably thinking that was a little too mushy and maybe too cringy and OOC for Anakin to admit his feelings? But that's the way I've wanted to conclude the story. We've known Anakin to be a very emotional child, teenager and then an adult so it wouldn't be surprising for him to admit his feelings like that. You wanted a happy ending, so here it is. 
> 
> I will be uploading the last chapter this coming Wednesday so stay tuned!


	60. The future of the Jedi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well then, my lovelies, here it is. The last chapter. I cannot contain my excitement that I actually managed to finish writing such a large story in the span of the last 4.5 months: 550 pages later and over 240k words and here we are. Never have I ever imagined that I'd manage such a feat but your constant support with your comments, kudos and subscriptions had allowed me to finish it. So thank you all so much for it!
> 
> I wanted the last chapter to be something different... a little quirky and funny and with some feels in it as well. So without further adieu, I present to you Chapter 60. Definitely let me know what you thought of it in your comments! Enjoy ~

(ten years later)

The sound of small footsteps startled him as the boy whipped his head from the compartment of the small speeder bike to find his sister watching him with a foreboding expression on her face.

“Daddy won’t like this,” she whispered, her eyes wide as she stared at her brother, who in turn smirked and resumed his previous work prior to being disturbed by his younger sibling. 

“He won’t find out,” he replied with a confident tone much unlike what a ten year old should sound like at that age. “He’s off planet anyways,” he shrugged and then disappeared back inside the compartment of the speeder to work on the wiring.

“He  _ always _ knows,” the girl replied and then climbed from the other side of the compartment to watch her brother.

“Yeah, well, that’s ‘cause you tell mom  _ everything _ ,” the boy rolled his eyes and then whipped his head towards the direction of the two droids standing side by side on the platform near their father’s custom-made speeder bike which the boy was currently working on to bypass the security measures their father installed prior to leaving the planet on another so-called “business” trip. 

“Hey, Artoo, can you pass me the hydrospanner?” the boy shouted and the little astromech droid chirped a series of binary sounds before extending one of his numeral arms to pass the needed tool towards the young boy but not before his counterpart, T-2, their mother’s astromech droid bumped into the blue-domed droid with a series of indignant binary sounds, almost knocking the tool out of Artoo’s arms.

“T-2,  _ stop it _ ,” the boy hissed, quickly looking around the empty hangar to make sure they were still alone and that their mother wasn’t looking for them. “We discussed this. Now either  _ help _ me or I would be forced to turn you  _ off _ .”

“That’s mean,” the girl cut in but by then the little red-domed droid already conceded to the young master’s request to stay quiet as he shuffled on its spot with its cooing noises. 

The boy did not reply, concentrating on the task in front of him now that he had the needed tool to finish the job. It didn’t take long for the locking mechanism to disappear on the front of the console as the boy triumphantly smiled and then raised himself from the crouching position to prepare for the take-off sequence. 

“Luke,” the girl whispered, tugging on her brother's sleeve to draw his attention to her. 

“You want to come with me, Mi?” Luke asked, staring down at the small girl in front of him as she dropped her head to hide her gaze behind thick strands of her chestnut hair falling down her face. Luke smiled and then crouched on the eye level with his younger sister to catch her gaze with his blue eyes. “It’ll be alright, Mi.”

She raised her chin, finding his gaze with her own eyes, contemplating her brother’s suggestion before she hesitantly nodded her head, chewing on her lips as she fidgeted in her spot.

“But what if daddy finds out?”

“He won’t,” Luke reassured her. “Artoo and T-2 promised they won’t say a word. It’ll be a quick one. We’ll be back before mom even notices we were gone and by then I’ll re-install the security measures so father won’t suspect anything,” he grinned with that mischievous look he would always wear when he knew he was doing something he wasn’t supposed to. 

“Okay,” Mi nodded her head and with the help of her brother was seated next to Luke as he engaged the startup motors of the bike.

“Alright,” Luke focused the two droids with his most intimidating glare he could muster on his child-like face, trying to imitate his father. “Artoo, T-2, guard the entrance to the hangar. If you see mom, stall her. Buzz me if there’s trouble,” and before the two droids could give him their affirmative, he was already speeding past the exit of the hangar, down the streets of the sectioned part of Coruscant away from the Imperial Center. 

“Where are we going?” Mi asked, almost screaming at Luke just so he could hear her through the whistling noise of air flying past their ears as Luke applied the speed on the bike, grinning at the adrenaline rushing through him. 

“The Temple,” he yelled back, maneuvering around the blocks of the city. This part of the city was easy to navigate through after their father had sectioned off the area a few years back to maintain what he called “a safe and quiet place for the kids”, placing a perimeter of stormtroopers around in order to maintain that regulation. Not that Luke had anything to complain about. It only allowed him to easily sneak around the Imperial Center without being noticed, something that his parents had grown more concerned about in recent years, more so his mother than anyone else.

“ _ Again _ ?” his sister pouted, crossing her small arms over her chest. “You  _ always _ go there! Aren't you tired of that place?”

“Nope,” Luke grinned and then pressed on the pedal to push the speeder to its maximum speed, laughing as his sister screamed at the top of her lungs for him to slow down.

They finally reached their destination soon after, the pathway practically a straight shot from the Imperial Center to the abandoned Jedi Temple, now considered to be a relic of its past as it stood at its imposing height at the center of Coruscant.

“ _ Wow _ ,” Luke breathed, his eyes wide as he parked the speeder by the staircase that would lead them straight to the gates of the Temple. 

“You’ve been here  _ before _ ,” his sister reminded him, still pouting as she gazed at the looming structure in front of them. 

“Come on,” Luke jumped from his side, running around to help his sister get out of the speeder, tugging on her small hand as he started climbing the stairs in all his eagerness. He couldn’t contain his excitement. 

They reached the top of the stairs soon after, peeking around the large column to make sure the area was clear just as any other time they’ve ventured out here. Luke nodded his head to let his sister know the coast was clear and then they ran full speed, or as much as Mi’s short legs allowed them too, and then they were in front of the large towering doors and then past that to the beyond world of the past, to the silent and ancient structure of the Old Jedi, a term their father used to describe the former guardians of the galaxy. 

“I know a place,” Luke was already dragging his sister behind him as he marched down the main hallway of the Temple, his senses heightened as he searched for the place the Force ghost had told him about. Left and right, multiple turns through the complexity of the hallways and soon he found what he was looking for. 

He smiled and then pointed with his finger towards the grand opening on one of the rooftops of the Temple, the meditation garden filled with the foliage and trickling streams and laid out with the stone paths cut through the jungle-like chambers.

“Uncle Ben wasn’t lying when he told me this place would be beautiful,” Luke whispered, eyeing the place with a curiosity of a child as he tugged on Mi’s hand. “Come on, let’s explore.”

“He scares me sometimes,” Mi whispered but followed her brother regardless, her own curiosity getting the better of her as she heard the tinkling of the lapping water somewhere nearby. 

“Who? Uncle Ben?” Luke turned his head to gaze at his sister. “He’s nice.”

“He’s a  _ ghost _ , Luke,” Mi rolled her eyes and then squeezed Luke’s hand. “Don’t you think we should tell daddy about him?”

“Nuh-uh,” Luke scrunched his nose. “And then he’d forbid us from ever talking to Uncle Ben or our older brother ever again. You  _ know _ how he gets sometimes.”

Mi’s attention was drawn to a butterfly fluttering over her and she excitedly squealed and then followed the pathway of the butterfly until she arrived at the sandpit near a towering tree, filled with pink stones around some large fish-filled ponds connected with some sandy beaches and stony pathways, the place surrounded by the clerestories which formed the ceiling of the garden with the sunlight gently beaming down on top of the open place.

“This is so  _ cool _ , Luke,” she exclaimed, jumping up and down on the spot as she waited for her brother to come closer. “Look, there are even fishes in there! I’ve never seen one so close before.”

“See, I  _ told _ you,” Luke grinned as he came closer to the towering tree. “Uncle Ben told me this place was destroyed many years before we were even born. But then father restored it.”

“He did?” Mi lifted her head to gaze at the beaming sun and the clear blue sky, the midday warm air of the summer feeling nice and refreshing on her skin. 

“He was once a Jedi like our brother and Uncle Ben,” Luke came closer to his sister as he dropped down on the sandy patch before one of the ponds. “Look what I found,” and then he pulled out a long and cylindrical looking thing from the inside of his loose clothing, the metal glinting in the sunrays, drawing Mi’s attention from the sky.

“What’s  _ that _ ?” she asked and then crawled closer to her brother, eyeing the strange subject in Luke’s hand until her eyes widened when she realized what that was. “Where did you get that?” she exclaimed, looking at the brother with an alarmed expression on her face. 

“In our parents’ quarters,” Luke shrugged, twirling the object in his hand. “I think father wanted me to find this.”

“Why’d you say that?” Mi was still cautious of it, eyeing the thing as though it would jump at her at any second.

“‘Cause he placed it where I could find it,” Luke grinned. “Otherwise he wouldn’t have left it in the most obvious place surrounded by the Force shield.”

“The  _ what _ ?” Mi scrunched her nose. 

“Look,” and then Luke, with some concentration on his part, lifted the object from his hands without physically touching it, twirling it in the air before it dropped back down into the palm of his hand. 

Mi’s eyes were wide. “Does it work?”

Luke shot her a sly grin. “Want to test it out?”

Mi nodded her head and then Luke was back on his feet, gripping the hilt of the object before pressing the activation button, holding his breath as the blue blade emerged from the tip of the lightsaber, buzzing in his hands as he watched it with stilled fascination in his eyes.

“This is so  _ cool _ ,” Luke beamed, trying out a few maneuvers he had seen his father do when he thought his father wasn’t paying any attention. He twirled the weapon in his hands, the blade buzzing with each swipe of his hand.

“Luke, be careful,” his sister implored, watching her brother with stilled breath. 

“Don’t worry,” he laughed as he started getting more aggressive with his movements. “I know what I’m doing,” and before he could register his surroundings, he tripped over the rock surrounding the pond, flailing his arms around as he started falling head first into the water with a screeching scream of his sister following him, his eyes wide and his heart hammering in his chest when he realized that he was still holding the lit lightsaber in his hand, growing closer and closer to his body as he was falling.

Except he didn’t, because something or rather  _ someone _ suddenly levitated him in the air, stopping his fall with the Force hold before swiftly yanking the now extinguished lightsaber from the boy’s hands. Luke’s eyes widened when he registered the familiar presence of his father suddenly feeling  _ much _ closer than he ever expected. 

“Daddy!” Mi’s voice was a shrill and then Luke was tossed down on the ground next to his sister, his head spinning as he realized the implications of what it all meant.

He whirled his head to find their father stalking towards them from the other entrance to the gardens, his expression of rage barely concealed behind the mask of false calm, his eyes hard and cold and staring right at Luke.

_ Uh-oh.  _

“You’re supposed to be off planet,” the boy muttered, clearly still in shock as he gazed at the figure of their father now standing right in front of them.

“And  _ you _ are supposed to be with your mother at  _ home _ ,” his father’s voice was strained and rough and oh-so-angry that it made the boy shudder. 

“Daddy,” Mi started crying, her wailing carrying across the otherwise silent terrain.

“Why would you drag your  _ six-year old _ sister with you?” his father continued in that booming voice of his. “Do you have  _ any _ idea what would have happened had I not followed you here?” the creaking sound of his father’s gloves could be heard as he clenched his fists, barely suppressing his rage as he stared at the boy. 

Luke opened his mouth but was interrupted by the beeping sound of a comlink coming off the direction of his father, and the latter swiftly grabbed it in his hand, answering the call.

“Anakin,” it was their mother’s voice, worry radiating off her tone which made Luke wince, realizing he was in a lot more trouble than he previously thought. “Did you find them? Are they alright?”

“Yes,” Anakin hissed, his glare still focused on Luke. “I made it here just in time.”

“What do you mean ‘ _ just in time _ ’?” their mother’s voice was an octave higher. “And is that Shmi I hear crying?”

“She’s alright,” Anakin tried to reassure his wife. “I will bring them to you safely, I promise,” and before she could respond, Anakin had cut off the call, his glare still on the boy. 

“Did Artoo and T-2 tell you where we were?” Luke’s lip turned into a pout, only irking his father even more as he clicked his tongue. “They were  _ supposed _ to keep that a secret,” the boy huffed.

“Those droids are your mother’s and mine’s property Luke,” his father replied with a clipped tone. “They serve  _ me _ first and foremost. And no, the droids did not give you away. What did, though, was a tracker installed in the speeder bike that you had not noticed in your eagerness to get out. Which, I might add, had saved your life,” Anakin raised his hand to silence Luke’s further outburst.

The boy huffed and then raised himself from the ground, dusting off his clothes from the sand that got inside from his hard fall. Mi continued crying, her sobs soon turning into hiccups before their father finally took a notice of it and sighed. 

“Shmi, that’s enough of that,” Anakin addressed his daughter’s crying, which only prompted the girl to wail harder, her whole body shaking from her tears. He sighed and then tried to relax his features, making his voice a tad bit softer than before.

“Alright, come here Princess,” he finally conceded, kneeling in front of Mi to pick her up and she swiftly wrapped her small arms around his large neck, burying her face into his chest. Anakin once more raised himself to his full height, holding the small girl in his arms as he glared at Luke. “What prompted you to come here in the first place?”

Luke huffed, jutting his chin out to meet his father’s gaze head on. “I just wanted to.”

Anakin narrowed his eyes. “And you brought  _ this _ with you just because you  _ wanted _ to?” he palmed the hilt of the lightsaber that Luke had grabbed with the Force prior to leaving the Imperial Center, now hanging off his father’s belt. 

Mi shifted in her father’s arms, raising her head from his chest to wipe at her tear-stained face. “Daddy, please don’t be mad at Luke.”

Anakin dismissed his daughter’s plea. “Do you have  _ any _ idea how  _ dangerous _ this weapon is, Luke? You could have hurt yourself, or worse,  _ killed _ yourself. This is not a toy - “

“ _ I know that _ ,” Luke almost screamed. “I’m not stupid. It was just an accident - “

“An  _ accident _ ?” his father hissed, his eyes flashing in the sunlight. “Let me tell about what kind of accident the lightsaber can cause to those untrained in the Force - “

“I  _ already _ know,” Luke had an urge to roll his eyes but refrained, knowing the repercussions of doing so in front of his father. 

“You do  _ not _ ,” his father retorted, and by then a vein had popped up at the side of Anakin’s face, his teeth clenching as he tried to suppress an offensive remark at the tip of his tongue. 

“Daddy,  _ please _ ,” Mi once again tried to draw her father’s attention to her by tugging on the collar of his shirt. “It was ‘cause of the funny looking man.”

“Who?” that drew their father’s attention to Mi as he shifted his gaze from Luke to his daughter. 

“Mi, I told you to keep quiet,” Luke hissed but by then it was already too late.

“He’s a  _ ghost _ ,” his sister elaborated with a tone of voice like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “But sometimes he’s kinda scary looking.”

“No, he’s not!” Luke argued back. “You talk to him too! He’s much funnier than our brother - “

“I don’t like his beard,” Mi argued back. “ _ And _ he wears these weird  _ dresses _ , except they don’t look as nice as mommy’s.”

“They’re called  _ robes _ ,” Luke rolled his eyes this time. 

It seemed their father finally snapped from his own stupor as he knelt down in front of Luke, setting his daughter down on the ground next to her brother with a strange look on his face. “Are you telling me you can see and talk to Obi-Wan?” his voice took a tone that Luke had never heard his father use. 

“He goes by Uncle Ben,” Luke shrugged, deciding that it wasn’t worth denying what his sister told their father at this point. “That’s what our brother calls him too.”

Ther father’s face blanched an unnatural shade of something Luke couldn’t even describe. “You mean  _ Luke _ ?” his voice hitched in his throat. “Your older brother?”

Luke nodded his head. “He told me I was named after him,” he grinned. “How come you never talked to us ‘bout him?”

It took a while for their father to respond, Anakin’s eyes darting between his son and daughter, trying to school his face into a neutral expression. “He - “ his voice cracked and he had to clear his throat. “He died before you two were born.”

“Well, of course,  _ silly _ ,” Mi laughed, an innocent expression on her childlike face. “He’s a ghost now, so he  _ had _ to die to become one, right?”

Their father’s face twitched. “How long have you been seeing them?” he asked instead.

Luke and Mi exchanged a look, silently conversing between one another, something that Anakin had noticed them do more often within the last few months. It seemed the bond between the siblings had grown much stronger than before; they both shared a link that allowed them to have short telepathic conversations with each other. 

“For a while now,” the boy finally answered, albeit more reluctantly this time.

“And what had they told you?” his father’s gaze was piercing, making Luke feel quite nervous that he’d done something wrong by speaking with the ghosts. 

Luke shifted on his foot, casting his gaze aside as he looked down at his sand-covered boots, trying to avoid looking anywhere but his father’s face. 

“ _ Luke _ ,” Anakin’s voice was a warning. 

The boy sighed and then tensed his shoulders, realizing it was inevitable to hold the truth for himself. “Uncle Ben told me about you,” he slowly started, his eyes raising to meet his father’s insistent gaze. “About how you were a Jedi and his...um… student?” he had forgotten the word the older Jedi had used to describe his father.

“Padawan,” Anakin replied, his voice emotionless.

“Right,” the boy nodded his head. “He told me stories about the Old Jedi - “

“They were a lot more interesting than what mommy used to tell us,” Mi piped in. 

“Your mother was born after their time,” their father supplied.

“But our brother  _ was _ a Jedi,” Luke cut in. “And mom knew him. But she never talked about him.”

“It’s - “ Anakin hesitated. “It’s  _ complicated _ , Luke.”

The boy cocked his head, some of his blond curls falling on his forehead before he impatiently tugged them back with his hand. “Uncle Ben told me what  _ really _ happened to you.”

It had become unnaturally quiet in the garden, as though the sound of the trickling water and wind rustling the leaves had been sucked in by the vacuum. 

“Did he now?” their father’s voice was so quiet, Luke barely registered the words spoken out loud, to which the boy simply nodded his head, his blue eyes wide and staring at his father. “And what did you think of all this when he told you?”

Luke hesitated and then bit his lower lip, chewing it in between his teeth until he mumbled something under his breath.

“ _ Louder _ , Luke,” his father reprimanded him. “Tell me how Obi-Wan’s words made you feel. What you thought of when you found out the truth?”

Luke lifted his chin, squaring his shoulders as he stared at his father. “I want to become a Jedi.”

The boy expected his father to become angry and upset over his bold declaration, perhaps even going as far as listing the reasons why Luke shouldn’t be entertaining the idea of becoming a legend of the past, telling him of more stories of when the Jedi were considered to be a foe to the galaxy versus the guardians they were meant to be. He certainly did not expect his father to sigh, an odd look crossing his face as his father dropped his own gaze, looking away into the distance. 

“I didn’t realize the time would come so much sooner,” Anakin whispered, confusing Luke with his words. “I thought I had more time…”

“Father?” Luke asked, frowning as he gazed at his father’s face. 

“I suppose it’s inevitable,” his father chuckled, startling the boy as he almost jumped at his spot. “Your brother had foreseen this would happen.”

Luke’s eyes widened. “Does that mean,” he almost couldn’t contain his excitement. “So does that mean you’re going to  _ train _ me?”

Anakin’s gaze finally settled on his son. “Why do you want to be a Jedi, Luke?”

The question had caught the boy off guard. “Well, ‘cause it’s  _ cool _ ,” he noticed his father’s look, the way his eyes narrowed as he gazed at his son. This wasn’t the answer his father expected of him, so he hurried with his other reason. “And ‘cause I want to be like my older brother.”

“And what’s that?” his father was unrelentless.

Luke blushed. “He told me how he was a Jedi like his father before him,” the boy’s gaze was unwavering. “And I want to be like him too, and like  _ you _ , father.”

Anakin was silent, making Luke feel unnerved before his father shifted, his gaze growing impossibly hard as he reached for the weapon clipped to his belt. “The pathway to become a Jedi is not an easy one, Luke,” he was holding the lightsaber in his gloved hand. “It involves making certain sacrifices, as well as utmost commitment to the Code.”

“The Code?” Luke scrunched his nose.

His father nodded. “You will get to decide what Code you want to follow Luke. You will get to create a new Jedi Order, something your older brother never got the chance to do.”

Luke watched as his father twirled the weapon in his hand. “And once you are ready,  _ this _ will belong to you,” he snatched it away before the boy could grab it. “But not before you have some discipline on the matter.”

Luke’s face fell. “Are you going to tell mom about what happened?”

Anakin sighed and then looked from Luke to Mi, who up until this point was fairly quiet for a child of her age. “Your mother was very worried about you two, especially you, Shmi. I’m afraid it’s inevitable for her to become upset over what happened.”

“Father,  _ please _ ,” the boy begged. “I promise I’ll be good. Just don’t tell mom.”

“Yes, daddy,” the girl nodded her head, mimicking her older brother. “ _ Please _ don’t tell mommy.”

“Then you have to promise me you won’t wander the Temple by yourself ever again,” their father’s piercing gaze was shifting between Luke and Mi. “It is far too dangerous for your age to be left alone.”

The boy was about to argue but his father beat him to it. “Luke, you are the Prince and the future Heir of the Empire. There are many who won’t hesitate to harm you and many who would want to use you for their own gain,” he gripped Luke’s shoulder. “So,  _ please _ , be careful. You and Shmi are  _ everything _ your mother and I cherish in our lives. It would devastate us both if something were to happen to either of you.”

It was in these rare moments when Luke would remember his father being overly emotional and upfront about his own feelings. And it was in those moments when Luke would feel the unconditional love pouring from his father’s bond with his children.

“Okay,” the boy nodded his head. 

“Good,” Anakin let go of the boy’s shoulder and raised himself to his full height. “Now let’s go home. Your mother is waiting.”

He didn’t wait for either of them to agree with him as he rounded on his heels and started heading towards the exit of the Temple, with Luke and Mi running in behind him and trailing his steps, occasionally bantering with each other as they recalled the stories of what the Force ghosts had told them of this place. And every once in a while, their father would interject and give them his own piece of information during his own times of living in the Temple and being a Jedi.

They stopped at the parked speeder bike where Luke had left it, now surrounded by a small entourage of father’s personal bodyguards, or at least that’s what Luke called them, guarding the Temple’s premises with their father’s own speeder parked next to the other one.

“Can I ride it back?” Luke eagerly asked, hoping his father had forgiven him enough to allow him to take it back to the Palace. He thought wrong. 

“Now that’s something you’re  _ definitely _ going to be grounded for,” his father hissed, helping Mi get inside the passenger’s side of the vehicle. 

“But  _ dad _ ,” Luke whined. 

“No buts,” his father snapped. “You are far too young and reckless for your own good. Now get inside.”

Luke huffed. “I thought you were much younger than me when you started pod racing,” the boy sat next to his sister as his father slammed the door. 

“Did Obi-Wan tell you this too?” Anakin hissed, climbing to the front of the speeder to start up the engines. The guards would be taking the other one back.

“It’s  _ Uncle Ben _ ,” Luke pointed out. “And yes, he did,” he grinned.

“I’m gonna have to have a talk with the old man,” Luke heard his father mutter under his breath and then the sound was drowned by the wind whirling past the boy’s ears as they all took off towards the Imperial Center, with Luke grinning despite the looming promise of being grounded. Because nothing felt as exhilarating and exciting as riding with his father, watching as the surroundings blurred past them as they increased speed, feeling his tension leaving his body as he imagined himself flying one of his father’s ships and feeling free. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted this to be like a snippet of the children's lives, mainly written from Luke's POV. I've never written a child's perspective and the dialogue so I hope I managed to make it seem believable coming from a ten-year old and a six-year old. And yes, they named her Shmi :3 but everyone else calls her Mi. I thought it was quite fitting to name her after Anakin's mother. 
> 
> I hope it left you with some sort of imagination of what they lives were like and the subsequent relationship between Anakin with Obi-Wan and his older son. I didn't want to dwell too much on it, after all, this chapter was about our younger and mischievous Luke and about the beginning of his own journey to become a Jedi. 
> 
> I don't know if I'll be making a sequel to this story and if I decided on it (which I do have some ideas) it won't be any time soon. I'm currently in the middle of two other projects which will be my main focus for the next few months. If you really enjoyed this story and wanted to follow more of my crazy writings and ideas, then you are welcome to check them out.
> 
> If you wanted a more crispier (pun intended) and younger version of Anakin with a tragic past and a wild twist, check out [Fatal Burn](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25417192/chapters/61640767) ^^
> 
> And if you wanted to read up on the smuttiest and disturbed version of Anakin with lots of porn then check out [Rain](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26386546/chapters/64273246) :)
> 
> Once again, thank you so much for your constant support!
> 
> May the Force be with you ~


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